MOUNTAIN FINCH. 515 



the base, and brown at the tip ; scapulars and smaller wing- 

 coverts rich fawn colour, the latter tipped with white ; 

 greater wing-coverts jet black, tipped with fawn colour ; 

 quill-feathers black ; the primaries with narrow, light- 

 coloured outside edges, the tertials broadly edged with 

 fawn colour ; rump and upper tail-coverts white, slightly 

 varied with a few black feathers, which are brown at the 

 tips ; tail-feathers black, edged with buffy white, the outer 

 feather on each side with a patch of dull white on the 

 broad inner web, the middle pair shorter than the others ; 

 the form of the tail forked ; the chin, throat, upper part of 

 the breast and sides, rich fawn colour ; lower part of the 

 breast, the belly, and under tail-coverts, white ; the flanks 

 varied with black and light brown ; a small tuft of elongated 

 feathers under the wing, forming an axillary plume, and th e 

 smaller under wing-coverts bright yellow ; the other under 

 wing-coverts white ; legs, toes, and claws, light brown. 



In spring the brown tips to the black feathers on tho 

 head and neck are lost, leaving these parts of a fine velvet 

 black, which the bird retains till the next autumn moult ; 

 the beak during spring and summer lead blue. 



The whole length of the male bird is six inches and three- 

 quarters. From the carpal joint to the end of the wing 

 three inches and five-eighths : the first three wing-feathers 

 nearly equal in length, and the longest in the wing ; the 

 fourth feather about one-eighth shorter than the third. 



The female in winter has less black colour on the top of 

 the head ; the cheeks, ear-coverts, and neck, dull brownish 

 grey, with two dark lines dividing the sides of the neck 

 from the nape : the other colours of the body less pure, 

 and clouded with dull brown. 



Young birds of the year, M. Temminck says, have the 

 throat white, but otherwise resemble adult females. 



LL 2 



