92 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



on sides, sharp-pointed ; nostrils near base, oval, mostly hidden by- 

 frontal plumes. First three or 2nd to 4th obvious primaries about 

 equal and longest. Sexes differ in coloration ; young very much 

 like females. Europe, north-west Africa, Madeira, Canaries, Azores, 

 north Asia. 



Key to species of genus Fringilla. 



Outer tail-feathers with much white, rump greenish 



in adults, also with green tinge in juvenile . . F. coelebs, p. 92 



Outer tail-feathers with very narrow white fringes, 

 rump white in adults, slaty, more or less spotted 

 with white in juvesnile ... F. montifringilla, p. 95 



FRINGILLA CCELEBS 



37. Fringilla coelebs coelebs L.— THE CHAFFINCH. 



Fkingilla coelebs Linnajus, Syst. Nat.,ed. x, i, p. 179 (1758 — "Europa." 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Fringilla caelebs gengleri Kleinschmidt, Falco, v, p. 13 (1909 — England. 



Typical locality : Hampstead). 



Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, Yarrell, ir, p. 68 ; Saunders, p. 183. 



Chaffinch (Fringilla c. coelebs). S 



Description. — Adult male. Winter. — Fore-head black, feathers 

 tipped buff ; crowTi, nape, hind-neck, and upper-mantle grey-blue, 

 more or less washed reddish-buff ; very narrow line yellowish-green 

 below grey-blue, rest of mantle chestnut-brown; back and rump 

 yellowish-green ; upper tail-coverts blue-grey, tinged buff and 

 green, and smaller coverts marked black ; lores, line over 

 eyes, ear-coverts, and cheeks pinkish-chestnut ; chin, tliroat, 

 breast, and flanks pearly-pink to broAvnish-pink ; lower-flanks 

 generally washed greenish-buff ; centre of belly white ; vent 

 and under tail-coverts creamy ; axillaries white ; tail-feathers : 

 central pair slate-grey, fringed green, rest black, inner ones 

 fringed green, outer pair mostly white with slanting black 

 mark on outer part of distal haff and on inner web at base, 

 next pair same but more black at base (amount of black varies 



