306 



Letters, Extracts, Notices, §c. 



Bill, except the tip, which is black, and legs flesh-coloured. 

 Eyes brown. 



On the same occasion T got a female Chaffinch which is 

 of a light havana or buff-colonr all over, with the usual 

 light markings. 



Both are fine birds, but the male is really a very hand- 

 some object. 



Yours &c, 

 GooUust, 's Graveland, p ^ Blaauw. 



Ililversum, Holland, 

 January 12, 1904. 



Sirs, — In the notice of Herr C. E. Hellmayr's recent 

 synopsis of the Paridse, Sittidse, and Certhiidse (supra, p. 154) 

 it is asked " . . . . how many Members of the B. O. U. could 

 distinguish C[erthia] brachydactyla from C. familiaris or 

 C. britannica .... from cither of them ? " 



I do not think that the difficulty is so great as this question 

 implies, and, as I have an adequate series of each of the 

 three forms before me, perhaps I may be allowed to indicate 

 the characters by which I find myself able to separate 

 them with little difficulty. To facilitate comparison I have 

 arranged the characters in tabular form : — 



(a) C. familiaris familiaris. 



(b) C. familiaris britannica. 



i. Whole dorsal aspect more 

 hoary than in b or c, due to 



the enlargement and paler 

 coloration of the light area of 

 the separate feathers. 



ii. Forehead distinctly spot- 

 ted like crown. 



iii. No dark spot on under- 

 wing. 



iv. Hump lighter than in 

 b or c. 



V. Lower abdomen and 

 flanks hardly tinged with rust- 

 colour. 



vi. Bill shorter than in c. 



Upper surface darker and 

 more rufous, light portion of 

 feathers buff. 



Forehead spotted as in a. 

 No dark spot on under-wing. 



Bump darker and more 

 richly coloured. 



Flanks rust-coloured. 



Bill shorter than in c. 



(c) C. brachydactyla. 



Upper surface dis- 

 tinctly darker than a 

 and less suffused "with 

 rufous than b, light area 

 of feathers grey. 



Forehead unspotted 

 or indistinctly spotted. 



A dark mark on the 

 under wing-coverts j list 

 in front of 1st primary. 



Rump darker and 

 more richly coloured. 



Flanks rust-coloured. 



Bill averaging dis- 

 tinctly longer in both 

 sexes than in a or b. 



