THE WAXWIN&. 291 



black, with white and yellow spots , tail with yellow tip, 



and red-brown under coverts ; part of the secondaries 



with a red parchment-like tip on the end of the shaft ; 



a band over the eye ; the throat, the primaries, and the 



tail in front of the yellow tip, black ; primaries at the tip 



on the outer side yellow, on the inner side white (in the 



male) ; the colours become deeper by age, and the red 



wing tips larger and more numerous j I have never 



seen more than seven ; occasionally some small red 



tips appear on the ends of the tail feathers, but only 



in the very old males; iris dark brown-red. 



The old female differs but little from the old male, except 



in the absence of the white edge tips on the inner fan of the 



primaries. These are, however, occasionally seen in very old 



females, but never so clear as in the old males, in which 



latter, the white spots on the secondaries are sometimes 



tinged with yellow. The black patch, however, on the 



chin in the female is never so large and deep, and in general 



the yellow colour on the outer fan of the primaries, as well 



as on the tip of the tail, is paler and more tinged with yellow 



ochre, and the red tips are fewer and smaller. 



The young males (birds of the year) have only a smaller 

 and lighter yellow patch on the outer fan of the primaries, 

 no white on the inner fan, less yellow on the tail, and a 

 shorter feather crest. In females of a like age there is sel- 

 dom any yellow on the primaries, but the spots on the 

 outer fan are white. The red tips are either very small or 

 altogether wanting. 



Description of a young bird of the year shot on Sep- 

 tember 13th, 1850, by M. v. Wright : Length 8 in. It 

 was very unlike the old bird. Head above the short crest, 

 back of the neck, ear tracts, hinder part of the back, and 

 upper tail coverts ash grey, with a yellow tinge ; between the 

 beak and the eye a black spot, as in the old bird ; eye tracts 

 pale grey forehead white ; a white band, with a faint yellow 

 tinge under the black at the back of the eye ; even under 

 the eye a small white band, as in the old bird ; throat whitish, 

 unspotted, after that the colour is more rusty brown j sides 



