GOLDCEEST. 149 



and breast, pale brownish or yellowish grey, the sides tinged 

 with rufous yellow; back, light yellowish olive green, with a 

 tint of brown, the lower part is the lightest inclining to 

 greenish yellow. 



The wings expand to the width of six inches and a half; 

 the first feather is very short about a third the length of 

 the second, the third much longer, the fourth rather the 

 longest, the fifth nearly the same. Greater wing coverts, 

 purple brown, bordered with yellowish green, and tipped 

 with white; lesser wing coverts, also purple brown, bordered 

 with yellowish green, and partly tipped with white; primaries, 

 secondaries, and tertiaries, dusky margined with yellowish 

 green; six of the outer secondaries and inner primaries black. 

 The tail, somewhat forked, is dusky, the feathers margined 

 with yellowish green; upper tail coverts, light yellowish olive 

 green; legs, toes, and claws, brown. 



The female precisely resembles the male, but is rather 

 smaller, the length being three inches and a half, and the 

 crown has only yellow and no orange on its centre. The 

 wings extend to the width of six inches. 



The young in their first plumage have no yellow on the 

 head, the upper part of it being light greyish brown, with 

 two lateral bands of greyish black; the head on the sides 

 is yellowish grey; the neck on the back and nape, greyish 

 yellow green; chin, throat, and breast, greyish white, with a 

 tinge of yellow; the quill feathers dusky, margined with dull 

 yellowish green; tail, the same; legs and toes, pale brown. 



The moult is completed the end of August, but the orange 

 and yellow on the crown is not fully developed. 



M. Temminck says that accidental varieties have the top of 

 the head azure blue, that others of more frequent occurrence 

 have the head and part of the plumage of a whitish colour, 

 and frequently the feathers of the crest of a deep yellow. 

 Montagu also mentions a pair of a cream-colour, with the 

 usual yellow crown. In the British Museum is a white one, 

 with pale orange-colour on the crown of the head, and very 

 pale yellow on the lower part of the back. Another, kept in 

 an aviary, had the tips of the wings and tail white, and the 

 crest yellow. 



