38 FRINGILLIDJ:. 



dull black, with very narrow light-coloured edges ; under 

 tail-coverts in the centre almost black, with greyish white 

 sides and ends ; legs and toes brownish black, the claws 

 shining black. 



The male in the plumage of his second year has the head, 

 neck, part of the back, rump, and under surface of the 

 body, crimson red ; the base of each feather dark grey ; the 

 quill and tail feathers darker than in the younger bird, 

 almost* uniform black ; both sets of wing-coverts tipped 

 with white ; the tertials also being tipped with white ; a 

 dark mottled band passes across the back. 



A male, older than the preceding bird, had passed ap- 

 parently from the crimson state to orange yellow on the 

 head, the upper part of the back, and under surface of the 

 body ; the rump lemon yellow ; wings and tail-feathers as 

 in the crimson-coloured male. 



The female is at first like the young bird, but afterwards 

 loses the striated appearance on the under surface of the 

 body, and attains a lemon-yellow colour on the rump, and 

 over a portion of the breast. 



The whole length of the adult bird is five inches and 

 three-quarters ; from the carpal joint to the end of the 

 wing, three inches and a half; the first three primaries very 

 nearly of equal length ; and the longest in the wing ; the 

 fourth feather shorter than the third, but much longer than 

 the fifth. 



The hind claw stout, and longer than the hind toe. 



