CROSSBIDL. 137 



than it; primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, deep brown, 

 the smaller feathers tinged with dull red; greater and lesser 

 under wing coverts, brownish grey. The tail is rather short, 

 extending one inch beyond the closed wings; upper tail coverts, 

 dark brown; under tail coverts, greyish brown, broadly mar- 

 gined with dull white. Legs and toes, purple brown; claws, 

 brownish black. 



The moult takes place in the autumn, and in the height 

 of summer all the tints are paler, and the plumage worn on 

 the back only shews darker from this cause. 



Female; length, seven inches and a sixth to seven and a 

 quarter; head, crown, neck on the back, nape, and back, dull 

 greyish brown, the centre of the feathers only slightly darker; 

 on the lower part the back is dull yellowish grey. The 

 wings expand to the width of eleven inches and three quarters, 

 or thereabouts. 



The young are at first dark green, with blackish longitudinal 

 markings, and the bill is not crossed. The young males 

 after the first moult are variously dull red, yellowish red, 

 greenish yellow, or dull yellow, shaded with reddish. The 

 back on its lower part is yellowish; wings, blackish brown; 

 tail, blackish brown. 



