u 



SNOW FINGH. 



GRANIVOR.E. 



Family FRINGILLID^. (Bonaparte.) 



Genus Fringilla. ( Linnoius.J 



SNOW FINCH. 



Fringilla nivalis. 



Fringilla ?iivalis. 



Brisson. 





" saxatilis, 



Koch. 





Passer alpicola, 



Pallas. 





Plectrophanes fringilloides, 



Bote. 





Chlorospi%a nivalis. 



Kaup. 





Montifringilla nivalis. 



Brehm. Bonaparte. 

 List, No. 7251. 



Gray, Hand 



Pinson de Neige des Alpes, 



Of the French. 





Alpe?i Schneeflnk, 



Of the Germans. 





Specific Characters. — Wing coverts, the chief part of the secondary quills, 

 and all the tail feathers, with the exception of the two middle ones, of a 

 pure white. Length six inches and two fifths. 



The Snow Finch is an inhabitant of the highest mountains of 

 Southern Europe, namely, — Switzerland, south of France, the Pyrenees, 

 the Apennines, and the Caucasus. It is found also in the Tyrolese 

 Alps, and occasionally, while on its passage to the north, in Thuringia 

 and Anhalt. In the north of Europe it is rare. It has, however, 

 been taken in Sweden according to Nilsson, though he only mentions 

 a single capture: and it is equally rare in Siberia. It occurs in the 

 high mountains of Persia, and is found in North America. Dr. Leith 

 Adams informs me that it is common about Candahar, so that it has 

 a wide and extensive range. In Switzerland it is found in the highest 

 mountains in the regions of everlasting snow, descending to the lower 



