82 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



lores greyish-white ; round eyes black-brown ; centre of belly, 

 flanks, and axillaries smoke-grey ; under tail-coverts rather browner 

 with white tips ; tail dark brown, outer webs narrowly fringed 

 pinkish at base and whitish at tips ; primaries same ; secondaries 

 same but with whiter fringes and inner ones with broad white 

 fringes and tips ; primary-coverts like primaries ; greater coverts 

 like inner secondaries but with white more tinged pink ; median 

 coverts dark brown with pinkish-white tips ; lesser coverts grey- 

 brown, tipped pink. This plumage is acquired by complete moult 

 in autumn. Summer. No moult. Abrasion makes crimson 

 brighter as in Crossbills and fringes gradually wear off tail and 

 primaries but white edgings and tips of inner secondaries and 

 wing-coverts though becoming reduced in size are always 

 conspicuous. 



Adult female. Winter. Resembling male but crimson replaced 

 by golden-yellow or reddish-gold ; mantle, back, and rump 

 greyish-brown with rather narrow gold fringes and tips. 

 Summer. Abrasion gradually reduces amount of golden colouring 

 owing to tips of feathers wearing off ; mantle becomes almost 

 uniform greyish-brown and rump and back greyer ; wings and tail 

 with scarcely a trace of gold edgings. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Upper-parts dark sepia, with feathers of crown 

 and rump tipped dull yellowish ; throat and breast paler and more 

 yellowish-brown ; belly and under tail-coverts ashy-brown with 

 buffish tinge ; tail-feathers dark brown, narrowly edged whitish- 

 buff ; primaries same ; secondaries with wider and whiter fringes ; 

 greater coverts fringed and tipped whitish-buff ; median and lesser 

 coverts tipped yellowish-buff. N.B. Tips of wing-coverts are 

 considerably smaller and duller than in adult. 



First winter and summer. Male. Much like adult female 

 but usually more pinkish, less yellow-gold, tail- and wing-feathers 

 and wing-coverts browner and not so blackish and the edgings 

 and tips duller, not so pure white. Female. Like above but 

 yellow paler. The juvenile body-feathers and wing-coverts are 

 moulted in autumn (August) but not the primary-coverts, remiges, 

 or rectrices. 



Soft parts. Bill dark horn-brown, paler base lower mandible ; 

 legs, feet, and iris dark brown. 



Measurements and structure. <$ wing 107-114, tail 77-87, 

 tarsus 20-23, bill from feathers 14-15 (10 measured). $ wing 

 105-110. Primaries : 1st minute and hidden, 3rd longest, 4th 

 often equal, sometimes 1 mm. shorter, 5th and 2nd 1-5 shorter, 

 6th 7-12 shorter ; 3rd to 6th emarginated outer w r ebs. Second- 

 aries between 9th and 10th primaries, tips slightly rounded. Tail 

 fairly forked. Bill heavy, upper mandible curved and projecting 

 beyond under mandible. Small bristle-like feathers cover nostrils 

 and at gape. 



