THE MALACCA GEOSBEAK. 207 



85. THE BEOWN-CHEEKED GEOSBEAX. 

 Loxia Canon, LIN. Der braunwangige Kernbeisser, BECH. 



Description.- The Brown-cheeked Grosbeak, which is about 

 the size of a Siskin, is four inches in length. The beak is 

 thick, strong, and brown ; the feet flesh-colour. The brown 

 cheeks are adorned with a yellow border, which extends from 

 the throat to the ears. The head, back, wings, and tail, which 

 is somewhat wedge-shaped, are dirty light green ; the breast 

 and belly are ashen grey. 



In the female the yellow stripe on the cheeks is wanting. 



Observations. This pretty bird, which is a native of Mexico, 

 has a soft flute-like song, and is lively and engaging in its 

 movements. It may be kept in a cage, and fed on millet and 

 canary seed. 



86. THE MALACCA GEOSBEAK. 

 Loxia Malacca, LIN. Jacobin, BUF. Der Malackische Kembeisser, BECH. 



Description. This bird, which is about the size of a Green- 

 finch, is four inches and a half in length, of which the beak, 

 which is thick and ashen blue, measures five lines, and the taL 

 one inch and a half. The feet are ashen blue ; the head, neck, 

 a stripe which passes from the centre of the belly to the vent, 

 and the thighs, are black ; the breast and the sides of the belly 

 white ; the back, wings, and tail, chestnut brown both the 

 latter being darker on the under side. The head and body are 

 each somewhat clumsy in shape. 



BEISSOX'S " Grosbec de la China" (Ornithology, iii. p. 235, 

 note 7) is sometimes considered as a variety of the Malacca 

 Grosbeak. Its head, throat, and neck, are black ; the plum- 

 age on the upper part of the body, red, or chestnut brown ; 

 wings and tail as in the preceding. I have often seen this 

 bird in the aviary, and always regarded it as a male, both on 

 account of its song, and because after moulting it resumed 

 the same colours, without white on the breast or black on the 

 belly. 



EDWAEDS, who has figured this bird (plate 355), adds also a 

 female, which was kept in the same cage, and seemed to enjoy 

 the society of the male. She was greyish brown on the upper 

 part of the body ; the sides of the head, and lower part of the 

 body, were reddish white ; the pen feathers and tail blackish ; 



