54 NUTCRACKER. 



neck, and nape, dark brown; chin, throat, breast, and back, 

 brown, each feather terminated with an elongated triangular 

 spot of dull white; on the throat these spots are small, on 

 the sides of the head larger, and largest on the upper part 

 of the breast, but I think that all the white markings are 

 variable with age. 



The wings have the first quill feather one inch and a half 

 shorter than the second, the second three quarters of ^an inch 

 shorter than the third, the third the same length as the 

 eighth, the fourth, fifth, and sixth, nearly of equal length, 

 one quarter of an inch longer than the third, and the longest 

 in the wing; greater wing coverts, blackish brown, the ends 

 of the feathers rather lighter in colour than the other parts; 

 sometimes white; lesser wing coverts, brown tipped with white. 

 The primaries and secondaries have a small triangular spot 

 towards the tip, from the sixth to the twelfth feather; greater 

 and lesser under wing coverts, dusky. The tail, which is 

 composed of twelve feathers, is blackish brown, with slight 

 blue reflections, as have the other darkest parts of the plumage, 

 the two centre ones entirely so, excepting in some specimens, 

 at the tips; the next on each side has a narrow white tip, 

 the next a more extended one, the next still more, and so 

 on, the outside ones having a space of three quarters of an 

 inch, or more, of white; beneath it is greyish brown, ending 

 in dull white; upper tail coverts, black, or blackish brown; 

 under tail covei'ts, greyish brown, sometimes quite white; legs, 

 black and scaled, as the Crows; toes, the same on the upper 

 surface; claws, black. 



In the female the brown colour of the plumage has a tinge 

 of red. In some instances these birds have occurred entirely 

 white; and one spotted with black and white. 



There is an interesting paper in the 'Zoologist,' by W. R. 

 Fisher, Esq., of Yarmouth, p.p. 1073-1074, respecting two 

 supposed species of the Nutcracker as having occurred in 

 Britain. The most evident mark of difference is in the form 

 of the bill, that of the one being thick and obtuse, and of 

 the other more slender and pointed, and the upper part, as 

 stated, somewhat longer than the lower one. That very 

 eminent naturalist, M. De Selys Longchamps, has expressed 

 his belief, in a paper read before the Institute of Belgium, 

 that the two species are distinct, and I cannot myself but 

 incline to this opinion, In the absence, however, of either 

 figure or separate description of the two, I am obliged, for 



