2 
albis vix brunneo lavatis: corpore subtus albo, pectore et hypochondriis vix pallidé fuscescente castaneo 
lavatis: rostro albicante, ad apicem nigro-fusco : iride fusca: pedibus pallidé brunnescenti-carneis. 
2 ad. mari similis sed sordidior, coccineo in fronte, genis et gulé minus extenso et vix nigro immixto: tectri- 
cibus alarum minoribus brunneis nec nigris. 
Juv. dorso pallidiore: capite et collo dorso concoloribus sed vix pallidioribus: remigibus primariis vix et 
secundariis valdé fuscescente cervino terminatis: cauddé minus albo notata sed cervino apicaté: gutture 
et corpore subtus albidis, gutture et pectore brunneo lavatis, hdc indistincté fuliginoso guttato. 
Adult Male. Feathers at the base of the bill, lores, region immediately round the eye, hind crown, and 
nape deep black, this colour passing from the nape to the sides of the neck in a crescent shape; fore 
part of the crown and upper part of the throat rich scarlet ; lower throat and sides of the head between 
the black and the scarlet pure white; and a narrow space on the hind neck below the black also white ; 
back, scapulars, and rump dusky warm wood-brown ; quills black, the basal half of the outer web of all 
the quills, except the innermost secondaries, brilliant gamboge-yellow; most of the quills marked with 
a white spot at the tip; larger wing-coverts gamboge-yellow, lesser coyerts black; upper tail-coverts 
greyish white; tail black, the central feathers tipped with white, the two outer feathers on each side 
with an elongated oval patch of white near the tip of the inner web, the third with only a very slight 
white spot; underparts white, washed with wood-brown on the breast and flanks; beak whitish, with 
a dark tip; iris dark brown; legs and feet dull flesh-colour; claws dark brown. ‘Total length about 
5-5:5 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 3:15, tail 2°1, tarsus 0°6. 
Adult Female (Hampstead). Resembles the male, but is duller in colour; the red on the forehead and chin 
covers a smaller space, and is slightly intermixed with black; und the lesser wing-coverts are brown. 
Young (Hampstead). Head, neck, back, and scapulars dull light wood-brown ; wings as in the adult female, 
but the primaries are slightly and the secondaries broadly tipped with brownish buff; tail less marked 
with white, and tipped with buffy brown; chin, throat, and underparts dirty white, the throat and the 
breast washed with pale brown, the latter very indistinctly spotted with sooty grey. 
Obs, I do not find much variation in colour in the specimens I have examined; and one from Persia does 
not in the least differ from others obtained in England. I have one, however, from the Ural which 
differs more than any of the others, and have therefore figured it. It is somewhat larger in size, has 
the black on the crown almost divided from that on the nape, the fore part of the back is whiter, and 
the rump and upper tail-coverts are pure white; there is also more white on the tail; and the sides 
of the breast are pale brown intermixed with sulphur-yellow, the rest of the underparts being pure 
white. In size the variations are not a little; but these seem to be individual differences, as one finds 
specimens from the same locality differing as much as any. 
Tue range of the present species is not very extensive, as it does not occur much beyond the 
western Palearctic Region, being found only as far east as ‘Turkestan. 
In Great Britain it is found generally distributed and resident; but in Scotland it becomes 
rare in the northern provinces, though said to breed regularly in Ross-shire, and occasionally in 
Caithness. Mr. Robert Gray says (B. of W. of Scotl. p. 145) that in Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, 
and some parts of Argyleshire it is still sparingly distributed, but is gradually diminishing in 
numbers. The late Mr. St. John also observed it in Sutherlandshire ; but it does not occur in 
Shetland, nor do I find any record of its occurrence on the other islands off the coast of Scotland. 
