MOUNTAIN FINCH. 515 
the base, and brown at the tip; scapulars and smaller wing- 
coverts rich fawn colour, the latter tipped with white ; 
greater wing-coverts jet black, tipped with fawn colour ; 
quill-feathers black ; the primaries with narrow, light- 
coloured outside edges, the tertials broadly edged with 
fawn colour; rump and upper tail-coverts white, slightly 
varied with a few black feathers, which are brown at the 
tips ; tail-feathers black, edged with buffy white, the outer 
feather on each side with a patch of dull white on the 
broad inner web, the middle pair shorter than the others ; 
the form of the tail forked; the chin, throat, upper part of 
the breast and sides, rich fawn colour; lower part of the 
breast, the belly, and under tail-coverts, white ; the flanks 
varied with black and light brown; a small tuft of elongated 
feathers under the wing, forming an axillary plume, and the 
smaller under wing-coverts bright yellow; the other under 
wing-coyerts white ; legs, toes, and claws, light brown. 
In spring the brown tips to the black feathers on the 
head and neck are lost, leaving these parts of a fine velvet 
black, which the bird retains till the next autumn moult. ; 
the beak during spring and summer lead blue. 
The whole length of the male bird is six inches and three- 
quarters. From the carpal joint to the end of the wing 
three inches and five-eighths: the first three wing-feathers 
nearly equal in length, and the longest in the wing; the 
fourth feather about one-eighth shorter than the third. 
The female in winter has less black colour on the top of 
the head ; the cheeks, ear-coverts, and neck, dull brownish 
grey, with two dark lines dividing the sides of the neck 
from the nape: the other colours of the body less pure, 
and clouded with dull brown. 
Young birds of the year, M. Temminck says, have the 
throat white, but otherwise resemble adult females. 
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