PASSERINE. CARDUELIS. 197 



straight, or slightly concave, the ridge narrowed toward the 

 end ; gape-line nearly straight. Mouth narrow ; both man- 

 dibles deeply concave within ; tongue sagittate, subulate, in- 

 volute, the tip terminated by a pencil of short bristles ; oeso- 

 phagus dilated into a crop ; proventriculus bulbiform ; sto- 

 mach roundish, compressed, with very strong, lateral muscles, 

 radiated tendons, and dense, longitudinally rugous epithe- 

 lium ; intestine of moderate length, rather wide ; coeca very 

 small, cylindrical. Nostrils circular, basal, concealed by the 

 reflected feathers. Eyes moderate. Ear large. Head ra- 

 ther small, oblong ; neck short ; body rather slender. Legs 

 short ; tarsus very short, compressed, with seven scutella ; 

 toes slender, compressed ; claws long, slender, arched, com- 

 pressed, laterally grooved, acute. Plumage soft and blended ; 

 wing rather broad ; the outer three quills nearly equal, but 

 the second longest ; tail shortish, emarginate. 



The Thistle-finches are distinguished from the Linnets 

 chiefly by having the bill more attenuated toward the end. 

 They usually seek their food on trees or tall herbaceous 

 plants, especially the Composite. Two species occur in Bri- 

 tain. 



122. CARDUELIS ELEGANS. RED-FRONTED THISTLE-FINCH, 

 OR GOLDFINCH. 



Bill whitish, with the tip blackish-brown ; feathers mar- 

 gining the bill all round, loral space, top of the head, occiput, 

 and semicircular band on the upper part of the hind neck, 

 black ; cheeks white ; forehead and throat crimson ; hind neck 

 and back umber-brown, rump ochre-yellow ; wings black, the 

 secondary coverts and basal half of the outer webs of the 

 quills, except the first, pure yellow, the tips white ; tail black, 

 tipped with white ; lower parts white, the sides brown. Fe- 

 male similar, with the tints less pure. Young with the co- 

 lours fainter. 



Male, 5, 9, 3^, |i, T V, T V, iV Female, 4if, 8{f. 



This elegantly formed and beautifully coloured bird is 

 generally distributed in Britain. In autumn it feeds chiefly 

 on the seeds of thistles and other Composite ; in winter on 

 seeds of various kinds, for which it searches the fields, some- 

 times in company with Linnets. Its flight is rapid, all its 

 actions lively, its song sweet and varied. It usually nestles 

 on trees, in gardens, or plantations, forming a very neat nest 



