101 



to two hundred individuals. In this manner they remain 

 through the winter, and only separate at the approach of 

 spring. 



Male; weight, about two ounces; length, a trifle over seven 

 inches; bill, pale brownish red, bluish in summer, the tip 

 dusky: between it and the eye is a black streak, meeting the 

 black of the throat in a point. Iris, greyish white: the 

 black mark just extends behind it. Head, yellowish brown, 

 paler on the forehead and the sides than on the crown; the 

 neck behind is crossed by a broad band of ash-colour, on 

 the sides it is pale brown; nape, fawn-colour; chin and 

 throat, velvet black; breast, pale brown; back above, dark 

 chesnut brown, next brownish grey, changing downwards to 

 yellowish brown. 



The wings, which are of the width of eleven inches and a 

 half, are broad; the first quill feather is a little shorter than 

 the second, as is also the third, the fourth a little shorter 

 still, and the rest gradually diminish in length; greater 

 wing coverts, greyish white, and those next the body yellowish 

 brown; lesser wing coverts, black, or blackish brown, some of 

 them tipped with white; primaries, bluish black, the outer 

 ones with a white spot on the inner web near the middle, 

 the others greyish white: the fifth~and four succeeding ones 

 are curiously formed in the shape of a bill-hook or battle- 

 axe at the end; the other quill leathers nearer the body are 

 square at the end. The secondaries, which are long, have the 

 greater part of the inner web greyish white; some of the 

 tertiaries rich chesnut brown. Tail, short and black; the 

 outside feather on each side is black at the base, and on 

 the outer web, and half of the inner web, white; the next 

 four feathers on each side have a large white spot on the 

 end of both webs, the base black, the proportion of white 

 diminishing on each feather; the middle ones are grey towards 

 the end, and tinged with red on part of the inner web, the 

 tips white: the two centre feathers are rather shorter than the 

 rest. Upper tail coverts, yellowish brown; under tail coverts, 

 white; legs, toes, and claws, pale brownish red. 



The female is in length rather under seven inches; she is 

 like the male in appearance, but paler in colour; the black at 

 the base of the bill, and between it and the eye, is less 

 conspicuous; the different colours about the head, crown, and 

 neck on the back, are less distinct and more blended together; 

 the black on the chin is also less in size. The wing coverts 



