THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 393 



194. Greenland Redpoll [POLARFINK]. 

 FRINGILLA HORNEMANNI. 1 



Linota hornemanni. Holboll, Fauna Gr (inlands. Translated by 



Paulaen, p. 30. 



Greenland Redpole. Dresser, iv. 5 5. 

 Gros-bec boreal. Temminck, Manuel, iii. 264, iv. 644. 



This interesting northern species I have also obtained here on 

 one occasion, the remarkable size of the bird having induced Glaus 

 Aeuckens to shoot it ; in this respect, apart from its somewhat 

 shorter tail and much smaller bill, it exactly resembles a young 

 Chaffinch. The example in question is a young autumn bird, and 

 was shot on the 24th of October 1879. Its plumage is very beauti- 

 ful and perfect ; in coloration and markings it much resembles its 

 congeners of the same age, but the colours throughout the whole 

 of the plumage are more decided ; thus, for example, the whitish 

 buff-coloured (weisslich rostgelberi) stripes which in young birds of 

 F. linaria border the black median stripes of the back, in this 

 example are pure white along their whole length. The rump 

 also is white, the three black stripes becoming merged in this 

 colour. The black patch on the throat is very broad, and extends 

 downwards along nearly the whole extent of the foreneck. The 

 upper part of the breast is isabelline rust-colour, with broad black 

 stripes at the sides, which extend downwards along the whole of the 

 white sides of the breast and flanks. 



In coloration this example accordingly deviates considerably 

 from Holboll's description, according to which the plumage of both 

 old and young is divided almost exclusively between grey, white, 

 and rosy-red. Temminck, on the other hand, whose description 

 is also taken from examples collected by Holboll in Greenland, says 

 that the brown patches of the back are edged with rust-colour ; that 

 the rump has brown markings, and that the sides are marked with 

 numerous brown spots. A young female autumn bird (Herbst- 

 vogel) received by Dresser from Greenland is stated by that 

 ornithologist to resemble in coloration some specimens of F. linaria 

 to such a degree that it can only be distinguished from the latter 

 species by its considerable size, and the conformation of its beak 



The measurements of the bird taken on this island perfectly 

 agree with those given by Holboll and Dresser, and are as follows : 

 Total length, 5-47 ins. (139 mm.); length of the wings,3-llins.(79mm.); 

 length of tail, 2-80 ins. (71 mm.) ; length of tail uncovered by wings, 

 1-19 in. (30 mm.); the notch of the furcate tail is 75 in. (19 mm.) 



1 Linota hornemanni (Holb.). 



