PYCNORAMPHUS. 297 



Head, neck and upper surface of the body dull slaty black ; lesser wing 

 coverts like the back, beneath siskin yellow ; base of the primaries, except of 

 the first three or four pure white, forming a conspicuous wing spot ; some of the 

 greater coverts, the shorter primaries, and the secondaries and tertiaries with 

 an oval yellowish white spot near the tip on the outer webs ; upper tail coverts 

 and tail black; sides of the body black spotted. Bill and feet plumbeous ; 

 irides brown. 



Length. 8-5 inches ; wing 5-25 ; tail 3 ; bill at front o'8 ; tarsus 075. 



The female is a little smaller, has the upper parts like the male, but there 

 is a yellow supercilium, occasionally some of the same colour on the forehead, 

 crown and nape, as also on the upper plumage ; the cheeks too are yellow ; 

 upper ear coverts dark brown ; beneath bright yellow spotted with black, except 

 on the vent and tail coverts ; a dark line from the gape, another from the lower 

 mandible enclosing the chin ; wing as in the male, but with larger spots on the 

 feathers/especially on the wing coverts. The young female is whitish beneath, 

 and on the crown, nape and interscapulary region. (jferd) 



Hal. N.-W. Himalayas at considerable elevations, ranging into Sikkim 

 and Munipur. Jerdon procured specimens near Darjeeling ; Hodgson obtained 

 it in Nepaul ; and according to Hutton, it comes to Mussoorie in flocks during 

 March and April. He adds that it remains as long as it can get plenty of 

 cherry stones to crack ; when at this operation they are easily detected by 

 the noise. It is also recorded from Chamba, Kotegurh, Simla, Mussoorie, 

 Kumaon, Nepaul and Sikkim. 



Gen. PycnoramphuS. Hume. 



Bill conic, thick, longer than deep, tumid at base ; the tip of upper mandible 

 bent a little over the lower; 2nd, 3rd and 4th quills subequal. 



810. Pycnoramphus icteroides, Vigors, P. z. S. 1830, p. 8 ; 



Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiii. 1844; Hume, Nests and Eggs, Ind. B. p. 469; 

 id. Sir. F. 1819, p. 107. Hesperiphona icteroides, Bp. Consp, Av. p. 505. 

 Coccothraustes icteroides, Vig. t Proc. Comm. Sci. and Corr. Zool. Soc. ; 

 Hodgson, J. A. 'S. B. xiii. p. 950, pi. fig. 5.; Gould, B. Asia v. pL 22; 

 Jerd., B. Ind. ii. p. 384. The BLACK AND YELLOW GROSBEAK. 



Head, neck, wings, thigh coverts, extreme upper tail coverts and tail black ; 

 no alar speculum ; rest of the plumage rich yellow, inclining to orange on 

 the nape and paler beneath. Bill apple green ; legs fleshy. 



The female is dull olivaceous grey, with the back and rump tinged with 

 fulvous and the abdomen and under tail coverts more strongly fulvous or rusty 

 yellow ; quills and tail black. Bill yellow ; legs fleshy. 



Length. % to 9 inches ; wing 5-25 ; tail nearly 4 ; bill at front I. 



