THE TWITE. 57 



brown (varying individually) ; axillaries white, tinged buff ; tail- 

 feathers brown-black, two central pairs edged buff, rest fringed 

 white on outer webs and more broadly whitish-buff on inner webs ; 

 wins; -feathers brown-black tipped buff and edged white on inner 

 webs, inner primaries conspicuously edged white on outer webs, 

 secondaries narrowly (innermost broadly) edged buffish-brown ; 

 greater coverts black-brown, edged and tipped pale buff ; median 

 and lesser coverts same but tipped darker rufous-buff. This 

 plumage is acquired by complete moult in Sept. -Oct. Summer. 

 No moult. Abrasion makes upper-parts much darker, less 

 buff, except hind-neck, feathers of which have greyish- white 

 edges (concealed by buff edges in winter) ; rump much brighter 

 pink ; throat less uniform and rather paler buff ; breast and flanks 

 much more strongly striated with rufous-brown as buff edges 

 gradually wear away. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. Like adult male but 

 rump like mantle and usually without any pink, but sometimes 

 faintly tinged pink. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Similar to adult female, but edgings of feathers of 

 crown and nape slightly greyer, not so buff ; mantle and scapulars 

 slightly more rufous ; rump slightly paler without pink ; lores, ear- 

 coverts, throat and upper-breast not so deep a buff as adult and 

 more streaked especially on throat and breast ; chin with indistinct 

 brown streaks ; flanks slightly more rufous, not so yellowish-buff 

 as adult. 



First winter and summer. Like adults. The juvenile body- 

 feathers, wing-coverts, and innermost secondaries are moulted in 

 Sept.-Oct., but not rest of remiges, primary-coverts, or tail. 



Measurements and structure. < wing 72-80 mm., tail 54-63, 

 tarsus 14-16, bill from skull 8.5-10 (12 measured). $ wing 70-75. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and hidden, 3rd usually longest, 2nd and 

 4th sometimes equal but generally 1-2 mm. shorter, 5th 2-4 

 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emarginated outer webs. Secondaries between 

 9th and 10th primaries. Tail fairly deeply forked. Bill thick 

 and deep at base, tapering sharply to point. Nostrils covered 

 by short bristle-like feathers and similar ones at gape. 



Soft parts. Bill yellow, darker at tip (duller in young birds) ; 

 legs, feet, and iris dark brown. 



CHARACTERS AND ALLIED FORMS. C. f. brevirostris (Asia Minor, 

 etc.) has whitish edgings to feathers of upper-parts, C. f. stoliczkae 

 (Kashmir) is paler sandy-brown, C. f. rufostrigata (Tibet) has 

 larger bill. The dull upper-parts, uniform buff throat, pink rump, 

 and yellow bill are distinctive specific characters. Juvenile has 

 darker upper-parts and buffer sides of head, throat and breast than 

 juvenile Redpolls, and lacks greyish-black chin. 



FIELD-CHARACTERS. Yellow bill is its outstanding feature, but 



