74 SNOW BIRD. 



Fhingilla hyemalis, Linn. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10. p. 183 — Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis of 



Birds of the United States, p. 109. 

 Emberiza hyemalis, Linn. Syst. Nat. Ed. 12. p. 308. 

 Snow Biud, Fringilla nivalis, Wilson, American Ornithology, vol. ii. p. 129. 



PI. 16. fig. 6. 



Adult Male. Plate XIII. Fig. 1. 



Bill short, rather small, conical, very acute ; upper mandible a little 

 broader than the lower, very slightly declinate at the tip, rounded on the 

 sides, as is the lower, which has the edges inflected and acute ; the gap 

 line straight, not extending to beneath the eye. Nostrils basal, roundish, 

 concealed by the feathers. Head rather large. Neck short. Body full. 

 Legs of moderate length, slender; tarsus longer than the middle toe, 

 covered anteriorly with a few longish scutella ; toes scutellate above, free, 

 the lateral ones nearly equal ; claws very slender, greatly compressed, 

 acute and slightly arched, that of the hind toe little larger. 



Plumage soft and blended. Wings shortish, curved, rounded, the 

 third and fourth quills longest, the second nearly as long, the first little 

 shorter. Tail long, forked, the lateral feathers curved outwards a little 

 towards the tip. 



Bill white, tinged with red, dark coloured at the tip. Iris blackish- 

 brown. Feet and claws flesh-coloured. Head, neck, fore part of the 

 breast, back, wings and upper part of the sides, blackish-grey, deeper on 

 the head. Quills margined with whitish ; tail of the same dark colour as 

 the wings, excepting the two outer feathers on each side, which are white, 

 as are the lower breast and abdomen. 



Length 6^ inches, extent of wings 9 ; beak \ along the ridge, ^ along 

 the gap ; tarsus f , middle toe ^. 



Adult Female. Plate XIII. Fig. 2. 



The female differs from the male in being of a lighter grey, tinged on 

 the back with brown. Length 5^ inches. 



