82 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



lores greyish-white ; round eyes black-brown ; centre of belly, 

 flanks, and axillaries smoke-grey ; under tail-coverts rather brow-ner 

 with white tips ; tail dark brown, outer webs narrowly fringed 

 pinkish at base and whitish at tips ; primaries same ; secondaries 

 same but with whiter fringes and inner ones with broad white 

 fringes and tips ; primary-coverts like primaries ; greater coverts 

 like inner secondaries but with white more tinged pink ; median 

 coverts dark brown with pinkish-white tips ; lesser coverts grey- 

 brown, tipped pink. This plumage is acquired by complete moult 

 in autumn. Summer. — No moult. Abrasion makes crimson 

 brighter as in Crossbills and fringes gradually wear off tail and 

 primaries but white edgings and tips of inner secondaries and 

 wing-coverts though becoming reduced in size are always 

 conspicuous. 



Adult female. Winter. — Resembling male but crimson replaced 

 by golden-yellow or reddish-gold ; mantle, back, and rump 

 greyish-brown with rather narrow gold fringes and tips. 

 Summer. — ^Abrasion gradually reduces amount of golden colouring 

 owing to tips of feathers wearing off ; mantle becomes almost 

 uniform greyish-brown and rump and back greyer ; wings and tail 

 with scarcely a trace of gold edgings. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Upper-parts dark sepia, with feathers of crown 

 and rump tipped dull yellowish ; throat and breast paler and more 

 yellowish-brown ; belly and luider tail-coverts ashy-brown with 

 huffish tinge ; tail-feathers dark brown, narrowly edged whitish- 

 buff ; primaries same ; secondaries with wider and whiter fringes ; 

 greater coverts fringed and tipped whitish-buff ; median and lesser 

 coverts tipped yellowish-buff. N.B. — Tips of wing-coverts are 

 considerably smaller and duller than in adult. 



First winter and summer. Male. — Much like adult female 

 but usually more pinkish, less yellow-gold, tail- and wing-feathers 

 and wing-coverts browner and not so blackish and the edgings 

 and tips duller, not so pure white. Female. — Like above but 

 yellow paler. The juvenile body-feathers and wing-coverts are 

 moulted in autumn (August) but not the primary-coverts, remiges, 

 or rectrices. 



Soft parts. — Bill dark horn-brown, paler base lower mandible ; 

 legs, feet, and iris dark brown. 



Measurements and structure. — ^ wing 107-114, tail 11-^1, 

 tarsus 20-23, bill from feathers 14-15 (10 measured). $ wing 

 105-110. Primaries : 1st minute and hidden, 3rd longest, 4th 

 often equal, sometimes 1 mm. shorter, 5th and 2nd 1-5 shorter, 

 6th 7-12 shorter ; 3rd to 6th emarginated outer webs. Second- 

 aries between 9th and 10th primaries, tips slightly rounded. Tail 

 fairly forked. Bill heavy, upper mandible curved and projecting 

 beyond under mandible. Small bristle-like feathers cover nostrils 

 and at gape. 



