MEALY REDPOLE. 561 



equal in length ; but the first and second rather longer than 

 the third ; the fourth feather two-twelfths of an inch shorter 

 than the third. 



M. Temminck'fl description of his Fringilla Borealis at 

 different seasons of the year, is as follows : 



The old male in spring has the throat and lore black ; 

 forehead and upper part of the head blood red ; front of the 

 neck, breast, and rump, rose red ; belly and flanks pure 

 white : occiput and nape covered with darkish streaks on a 

 reddish white ground; shoulders and back with dark streaks, 

 edged with white ; pure white edges to all the quill-feathers 

 of the wings and those of the tail. 



The males in autumn have the rump white, with a 

 slight tint of rose colour and some brown streaks ; a slight 

 reddish tint on the cheeks ; the brown streaks on the back 

 edged with red ; the top of the head varied with two 

 shades of red. 



The female has the forehead whitish ; the top of the 

 head red ; the breast, the under parts of the body and the 

 rump white, marked with brown streaks, which are most 

 numerous on the flanks. 



Although the summer plumage is here described by M. 

 Temminck, this bird is rare on the Continent, and is not 

 known to breed in the South of Europe, or even in Scot- 

 land, while the Lesser Eedpole breeds every year in 

 numbers in Scotland, and even in some of the more north- 

 ern counties in England. 



The heads of both birds in different points of view, with 

 comparative linear measurement, are figured at page 568. 



VOL. i. o o 



