PROCARDUELIS. 223 



I'\in<(f>'. Very similar to the male in autumn, but with the rosy 

 much paler and entirely absent on the rump. 



Bill and legs pale fleshy ; iris dark brown (Mwrray\ 



Length about 5'5 ; tail 2-3; wing 3'6 ; tarsus 7; bill from 

 gape -45. 



Distribution. Resident in Gilgit from 5000 to 10,000 feet ac- 

 cording to season. To the west this Finch extends to Afghanistan. 

 It is spread over a considerable portion of Central Asia and ranges 

 to China. 



Habits, $c. Occurs in large flocks throughout the winter. 



The following two birds are likely to be found in India proper, 

 but are not yet known to occur there : 



Ehodopechys sanyuinea (Gould), entered by Hume in his Catalogue 

 with a note of doubt. A fine Finch with a wing over four inches, 

 the bases of all the quills largely white and the outer webs of the 

 quills and coverts a beautiful rosy red, paler in the female. Occurs 

 in Yiirkand. 



lihodospiza obsoleta (Licht.). Sandy brown throughout, with the 

 outer webs of the primaries pure white and those of the secondaries 

 and greater coverts pink. Occurs in Afghanistan and Yarkand. 



Genus PROCARDUELIS, Hodgs., 1844. 



The genus Procarduelis contains certain species which are E.ose- 

 Finehes in plumage, but differ remarkably from those birds in the 

 shape of the bill, which is slender and pointed, with the culmen 

 straight. The females differ from those of the Kose-Finches in 

 being unstreaked. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Lower plumage red. 



a'. Forehead and supercilium of a different 



shade of red to the crown P. nepalensis tf , p. 223. 



b'. Forehead and crown of the same red and 



no supercilium evident : P. rubescens <$ } p. M. 



b. Lower plumage without a trace of red. 



c. Upper plumage without a trace of red . . P. nepafauu $ , p. -_'!. 

 d'. Upper plumage suffused with red P. rubescens $ , p. 224. 



765. Procarduelis nepalensis. The Dark Hose-Finch. 



Carduelis nipalensis, Hodys. As. lie*, xix, p. 157 (1836). 



Procarduelis nipalensis (Hodys.}, Blyth, Cat. p. 121 ; Horsf. ISf M. 

 Cat. ii, p. 492 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 400 ; Blanford, J. A. S. B. xli, 

 pt. ii, p. 0(5 ; Hume, Cat. no. 746 ; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 336; Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. M. xii, p. 182. 

 Ka-biya, Lepch. 



Coloration. Male. Forehead, anterior part of crown, broad super- 

 cilia, cheeks, chin, and throat rosy red, the forehead and anterior 

 part of crown of a richer colour ; lores and a broad band through the 



