2 
less margined with yellow; feathers on the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts blackish brown in the 
centre and paler towards the outside of the feathers, which are slightly margined with yellow; rump 
and upper tail-coverts bright yellow; quills and tail blackish brown, with narrow yellowish margins to 
the feathers; underparts rich yellow, except the lower abdomen and under tail-coverts, which are 
white, sometimes with a faint yellowish tinge; flanks and sides of the breast broadly striped with 
blackish brown ; bill dark horn, lighter at the base of the lower mandible; legs brownish flesh-coloured ; 
iris dark brown. Total length about 4°5 inches, culmen 0:32, wing 2°8, tail 2:05, tarsus 0°6. 
Adult Female (Barcelona, May). Differs from the male in having much less yellow, the crown, sides of the 
head and nape being, like the back, dark brown, with lighter margins, and very slightly edged with 
greyish yellow; wing-coverts terminated with buffy white, and most of the quills with buffy white 
narrow margins on the terminal portion, but otherwise as in the male; tail as in the male; rump 
yellow, marked with blackish brown; upper tail-coverts nearly pure yellow; underparts dull white, 
washed with yellow on the throat and breast; throat, breast, and flanks broadly striped with blackish 
brown. 
Male in winter (Adalia, January 15). Differs from the specimen in summer dress merely in having the 
yellow on the head obscured by greyish brown tips to the feathers; the back is less marked with 
yellow; and the wing-feathers have rather broader buffy white margins tinged with yellow; but the 
rump is as bright yellow as in the spring, if not brighter. 
Aw inhabitant of Central and Southern Europe and North Africa, the Serin Finch is only a rare 
straggler in the northern portions of our continent, and does not occur further east than Asia 
Minor. It has been on several occasions obtained in Great Britain; but the question arises as 
to whether some of the specimens obtained were birds escaped from confinement. The first 
instance of its occurrence with us appears to be that of one obtained near Portsmouth in April 
1852; and since then several instances have been recorded by various ornithologists. Mr. Bond 
cites three—one near Brighton, 20th June, 1859, one near London, October 1859, and one in 
April 1869. The second of these I have examined; and it certainly appears not to have been a 
caged bird. Mr. G. Dawson Rowley records (Ibis, 1861, p. 113) three supposed occurrences at 
Brighton; but as the specimens were not preserved, it is open to doubt whether they really 
were Serins. He examined one, however, in 1866, which he says (Ibis, 1866, p. 215) “ was killed 
in the last week of January 1866 by William Gorett, Esq., in a small garden surrounded by trees 
in Bridge Street, North Town, Taunton, Somerset,” and which certainly was a true Serin. 
Mr. Cecil Smith, who included the present species in his ‘ Birds of Somerset’ on the strength of 
this specimen, tells me that he always had some doubts as to the propriety of admitting it, 
thinking it might be an escaped bird. Mr. Monk also records the occurrence of one at Hove, 
near Brighton, in April 1866; and Mr. Lucas, in ‘The Field’ of the 12th June, 1869, states that 
one was obtained at Worthing on the 4th May, 1869. It was stated by Faber (/.c.) to have 
occurred in Iceland between 66° and 67° N. lat.; but the specimen he obtained was lost, and 
there appears to be some doubt as to whether his identification was correct. 
It has not been met with in Sweden, Norway, or Finland; nor have I any record of its 
occurrence in Northern or Central Russia, except that Mr. Sabandaeff believes that a bird stated 
to have been obtained near Moscow was a Serin Finch. It occurs in North Germany only as a 
