210 



Female. E-ump bright yellow; with this exception the whole 

 upper plumage, sides of neck, lesser and median wing-coverts are 

 dark brown, each feather with a large and well-defined greenish- 

 yellow margin ; greater coverts and quills dark brown, margined 

 with greenish yellow on the outer webs ; tail dark brown, with a 

 greenish-yellow tinge on the outer webs ; region of the eye and 

 cheeks ochraceous yellow ; ear-coverts greenish yellow with pale 

 shafts; the whole lower plumage pale ochraceous, each feather 

 with a subterminal black mark showing more or less clearly and 

 sometimes concealed. 



The young bird resembles the adult female ; the male moults 

 the first autumn into the female plumage again, but immediately 

 after commences to assume the adult male plumage by a change of 

 colour in the feathers, and probably attains the full plumage by the 

 first breeding-season. 



Bill yellow ; legs brown ; iris hazel-brown (Jerdon). 



Length about 7'5 ; tail 2-8 ; wing 4 ; tarsus -8 ; bill from gape '8. 



Distribution. Nepal and Sikhim from 5000 to 10,000 feet ac- 

 cording to season ; the Khasi hills. 



Habits, 6fc. According to Jerdon frequents both forest and bushy 

 ground and has a loud whistling note. This species is captured in 

 the Khasi hills and kept in captivity. 



Genus PROPYRRHULA, Hodgs., 1844. 



The genus Propyrrhula connects Loccia and Hcematospiza with 

 the large group of the Rose-Finches. It has much the same bill 

 as Hcematospiza but a longer tail, and the plumage of the male is 

 less brilliant, being much mixed with green above and the abdomen 

 being brown. The female of Propyrrhula, however, is not very 

 unlike the female of Hcematospiza. 



752. Propyrrhula subhimalayensis. The Red-headed Hose-Finch. 



Corythus subhimachalus, Hodgs. As. Res. xix, p. 152 (1836). 

 Propyrrhula subhemachalana, Hodgs., Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiii, p. 952 



(1844) ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. ii, p. 454. 

 Propyrrhula subhimachala (Hodgs.}, Blyth, Cat. p. 123 ; Jerd. B. I. 



ii, p. 396 ; Godiv.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xly, pt. ii, p. 200 j Hume, Cat. 



no. 736. 

 Propyrrhula subhimalayensis * (Hodgs.}, Sharps, Cat. B. M. xii, 



p. 462. 



Coloration. Male. Forehead, supercilium, cheeks, chin, and 

 throat crimson ; fore neck and upper breast duller crimson, with 

 the feathers subterminally paler, causing a mottled appearance ; 

 remainder of lower plumage greyish brown, paler on the abdomen ; 

 crown, nape, hind neck, sides of head and neck, back, scapulars, 



* As pointed out by Sharpe, it will be convenient to employ this name for the 

 present species rather than subhimachal'iis and subhemachalana. 



