50 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Sept. and return March. Great numbers of passage-migrants and 

 winter-visitors arrive east coast Great Britain second week Oct. 

 to mid-Nov., extremes Sept. 23 to Nov. 26, and depart mid-March 

 to end of April, extremes March 12 to May 11. Occasional records 

 of migrants on west coast third week Oct. to mid-Dec, and in 

 mid-April. An autumn-immigration has also been noticed in 

 Ireland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — North and central Europe generally. 

 Replaced by allied forms in south-west Europe and north-west 

 Africa, some Mediterranean islands, in south-east Europe, Syria, 

 Persia, and Turkestan. 



Genus CARDUELIS Briss. 



Cabduelis Brisson, Orn., i, p. 36 (1760 — ^Type, according to ni, p. 53, 

 " Carduelis " =Fringilla cardtielis L., by tautonymy). 



Contrary to custom Goldfinches, Siskins, Redpolls, Citril, 

 Twite, and Linnets are here united into one genus, and this 

 example has been largely followed since 1903, when Hartert 

 adopted it in his book on palaearctic birds, m which (vol. i, p. 65) 

 the reasons were fully explained. In Europe one might separate 

 generally Carduelis (containing Goldfinch, Citril, Siskin, Redpolls) 

 and Linota (containing Linnet and Twite), but in other countries 

 these are connected by intermediate forms. Bill of genus, as 

 here conceived, is hard, almost conical; tip thinner or thicker 

 and shorter, base distinctly thicker, as if swollen. Upper mandible 

 straight or very slightly curved. Nostrils covered by short feathers. 

 Wings long and fairly pointed, first (obvious) to third primary 

 forming tip of wing. Tail of medium length, emarginated for 

 at least 5 mm. Tarsus short and strong. North and south 

 America, northern Africa, Europe, and Asia to Himalayas, China, 

 and Japan. 



Key to species of genus Carduelis. 



r Quills with yellow or yellowish basal bar ... 2 

 I Quills without yellow basal bar 5 



( Face red C. carduelis ^ $ ad. , p. 5 1 



\ Face without red 3 



«■ Crown black ; breast uniform yellow ... C. spinus, ^ ad., p. 54 

 V Crown not black ; breast not uniform yellow . 4 



( Lateral tail-feathers yellow at base . . C. spinus $ and juv., p. 54 

 4 

 I Lateral tail-feathers partially white . . . C. cardudis, juv., p. 52 



( Rump and abdomen yellow .... C. citrinella (J $ ad., p. 67 

 \ Rump and abdomen not yellow 6 



