300 THE BIRDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 



colour ; iris brown. The general plumage of C. ruUcilla is not so intense in 

 colour as that of the present species. 



Male. — Forehead, crown, cheeks, throat, and breast carmine-red, with 

 small and narrow silvery streaks. Stomach (with the exception of the white 

 centre) rose-coloured, with a vermilion tint ; flanks reddish grey, with a few 

 black streaks. Nape, back and sides of the neck, back, and shoulders 

 brownish grey, with a red shade and black shaft-streaks. Rump dull rose- 

 colour. Quills and tail-feathers dark brown, with red and yellow edges, 

 w^hich are widest on the tertiaries ; the tips of the secondaries are pale 

 yellow. Large wing-coverts have reddish-yellow, and the others have 

 rosy- red edges; the under wing-coverts are pale brown, with rosy edges. 

 The upper tail-coverts are brown ; the under tail-coverts are rosy. 



Female. — Upper parts brownish grey, lighter on the rump and with black 

 shaft-streaks ; underparts yellowish white, marked with black lines, which 

 are narrowed on the stomach. Quills and tail-feathers dark brown, with 

 narrow pale edges. 



We met with these birds only in the Kan-su mountains (but some might 

 have been in Tibet, although we did not obtain any), where it is only to be 

 found in the alpine regions, and very seldom, by chance, in the woods. It 

 usually keeps in thickets of bushes and on the ground, and is tolerably 

 cautious. The note resembles the whistling of our common Bullfinch. 

 The flight is high and wavy. 



About the middle of July the males were still moulting ; and specimens 

 killed late in August were also moulting fast. 



Towards the end of April we found these birds in the mountains south 

 of the river Tetung. Here they were flying about, in small flocks, on the 

 alpine meadows. 



