MEALY REDPOLL. 89 



micircular, the dorsal line straight, the ridge narrow, the sides convex, 

 the edges sharp and inflected, the tip very acute. Nostrils basal, 

 roundish, covered by stiffish reversed feathers. 



Head of moderate size, roundish ; neck short ; body moderate. 

 Feet of moderate length, rather slender ; tarsus short, compressed, an- 

 teriorly covered with a few scutella, of which the upper are blended, 

 posteriorly with two longitudinal plates meeting at a very acute angle ; 

 toes rather stout, the first with its claw as long as the third with its 

 claw ; the lateral toes equal ; claws large, moderately arched, much com- 

 pressed, acute. 



Plumage soft, blended. Wings rather long ; the first three quills 

 almost equal, but the second longest ; the second, third, and fourth, cut 

 out on the outer web toward the end ; the outer secondaries emarginate. 

 Tail rather long, deeply emarginate or forked, the middle feathers 

 being half an inch shorter than the outer. 



Bill yellow, with the ridge of the upper mandible dusky ; iris brown ; 

 feet and claws black. The upper part of the head crimson, the fea- 

 thers of the cheeks, sides of the body and hind part of the riunp pale 

 carmine. A band edging the fore head, the loral space, and the throat, 

 black. The upper parts are dusky, streaked with brownish-white, the 

 margins of the feathers being of the latter colour, and the former gra- 

 dually disappearing on the hind part of the back and rump, which are 

 nearly white, tinged vdth rose-colour ; the lower parts greyish- white, 

 the sides streaked with dusky. The wings and tail are dusky, with 

 greyish-white edges, and two transverse bands of the same on the tips 

 of the first row of small coverts and the secondary coverts. 



Length to end of tail 5^ inches ; extent of wings 9 ; bill along the 

 ridge -i-^ ; wing from flexure 2>^^ ; tail 2 1*2 ; tarsus ^^ ; hind toe ||, 

 its claw j| ; third toe 1*2, its claw ^. 



The Female, which is somewhat less, has the black of the forehead 

 and throat tinged with brown, the crimson patch on the head of less 

 extent, the sides and rump destitute of red. 



