100 



7483. Pijirhula erythaca, Blyth (Ibis, 1862, p. 389), is perhaps the rarest of the known species of Bullfinch; 

 and I am fortunate iu being able to examine a specimen belonging to Captain Elwes, a male obtained 

 in Sikkim in April 1864. It has the wings, tail, and a band round the base of the bill glossy black, 

 the larger coverts broadly tipped with ashy grey, the feathers bordering the band round the bill pale 

 ashy white ; upper parts dull dark ashy ; the feathers on the lower rump tipped with black, below which 

 is a white patch ; upper throat ashy grey ; breast brick-red with an orange tinge, fading into grey on 

 the abdomen; under tail-coverts white. Wing 3 - l inches, tail 2 - 9, tarsus 0'68. It inhabits Sikkim, at 

 great altitudes. A good figure of this species is given, Ibis, 1863, pi. 10. 



7484. Pyrrhula murina, G-odman, inhabits the Azores. Full particulars and a plate of this species are given 

 in the present work. 



Besides the above, there are two species of Bullfinch known which will very probably have 

 to be united. These are as follows : — 



Pyrrhula cassinii, Baird (Trans. Chic. Acad. Sc. i. p. 316, pi. 29. fig. 1) . This species, of which only one 

 specimen (from the Yukon river, Alaska) is known, appears, so far as I can judge from the description 

 and figure, to differ from the next species (P. cineracea) in having the outer tail-feathers with an 

 elongated patch of white in the terminal half, along the shaft, but not reaching to the tip ; and as I 

 find indications of this patch in some of my specimens of P. major, I think this may not be of specific 

 value ; but before uniting these two species it would be necessary to compare the type of P. cassinii 

 with examples from Eastern Siberia and Japan. 



Pyrrhula cineracea, Cab. (J. f. O. 1872, p. 315, 1874, pi. 1) . The female of this species very closely resembles 

 the female of Pyrrhula major, differing only in having the outer web of the innermost primary grey and 

 not red. The male resembles the female, but is much clearer grey on the upper as well as the under- 

 parts, the latter being very clear, almost silvery ash-grey. An adult male from Onon in my collection 

 measures — wing 345 inches, tail 2'9, tarsus - 7. It inhabits Eastern Siberia and Japan, from which 

 latter country I have examined several specimens in the collection of Mr. R. Swinhoe, which are, as a 

 rule, a little more dull in general coloration than those from Siberia. 



Pyrrhula cineracea appears to meet the species of which I am now treating (P. major) at 

 Onon, as I have examples before me of both species from that locality. 



The specimen figured is an adult male from Sweden in my own collection, and is the same 

 as that above described. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens: — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a, 2- Stehag, Sweden, January 28th, 1875 (W. Meves). b, 6 jun. Christiania, October 3rd, 1866 (Collett). 

 c,d. Uima, Archangel, May 16th, 1873 (Piottuch) . d,d,e,2- Uima, November 18th, 1873 (C. Craemers). 

 f, d. Moscow (Dode). g, d , h, ?. Olympus, Macedonia, December 4th, 1869 {Dr. Kriiper). 



E Mus. Brit. Beg. 



o,6,b,2.. Stehag, Sweden, February and March 1869 (W. Meves). c,d,d, 2- Denmark, winter, e, d . 

 St. Petersburg (Dode). 



E Mus. B. Swinhoe. 

 a, d ad. Onon, January 8th, 1873 (Dr. Dybowski). b, d . Ussuri river, Siberia, November 8th, 1872 (Dybowski). 



E Mus. Howard Saunders, 

 a, d , b, 2 ■ Helsingor, Denmark, October 14th, 1870 (A. Benzon) . c, d ad. Tiflis, Caucasus, 1873 (F. Smith) . 



