FEINGILLIDip:, FINCHES, ETC. — GEN. 61, 62. 131 



Var. FUSCESCENS. Dusky Redpoll. (Plate hi, figs. 3, 3a.) Upper parts nearly- 

 uniform duskj'', rump scarcely lighter, sides heavily streaked ; bill duskJ^ AtJD., 

 iii, pi. 179? CouES, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1861, 222, 390 ; 18G9, 186 ; Elliot, pi. 10. 

 I am not sure that this is anything more than a state of plumage of Unarius., as the 

 dusky appearance may be due to wearing away of the lighter edges of the feathers. 



Var. exilipes. American Mealy Redpoll. (Plate hi, figs. 6, 6a.) Colors pale, 

 the flaxen of Unarius bleaching to whitish ; rump white or rosy, entirely unstreaked 

 in the adults ; breast pale rosy, and streaks on the sides small and sparse ; bill 

 very small, with heavy plumules ; feet small, the middle toe and claw hardly or not 

 equal to the tarsus. Aud., iii, 120, pi. 178 ; Coues, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1861, 385, 

 1869, 187 ; Elliot, pi. 9. An Arctic race, not difficult to recognize, representing 

 in America the true Mealy Redpoll, A. canescens, of Greenland. ■ 



Obs. In addition to the foregoing, a large variety with a very large yellow bill, 

 apparently corresponding to what is called holbcelli in Europe, has been noted from 

 Canada. Cooes, Proc., Phila. Acad., 1862, 40 ; 1869, 184. 



61 bis. Genus LINOTA Bonaparte. 



III'! Brewster's Linnet. With the general appearance of an immature Aegio- 

 thus, this bird will be recognized by absence of an\' crimson on the crowu, a 

 peculiar yellowish shade on the lower back, aud somewhat different propor- 

 tions. Massachusetts, one specimen (Brewster). Aegiothus Jlavirostris, 

 var. hreivsteril Ridgway, Am. Nat. vi, July, 1872. An interesting dis- 

 covery, of which I learn as these pages go to press ; may be same as the 

 European. (Not iu the Key.) . . . flavikosteis var. beewsteeii. 



62. Genus CHRYSOMITEIS Boie. 



* Sexes alike. Bill extremely acute ; nasal plumules sometimes deficient. 

 Everywhere thickly streaked ; no definite black on head ; no red anywhere. 



Pine Linnet. (Plate in, figs. 11, 11a, 12, 12a.) Continuously streaked 

 above with dusl^y and olivaceous brown or flaxen, below with dusky and 

 whitish, the whole plumage in the breeding season more or less suffused 

 with yellowish, particularly bright on tlie rump ; the bases of the quills and 

 tail feathers extensively sulphury yellow, and all these feathers more or 

 less edged externally with yellowish. 4f ; wing 2f ; tail If ; forked. The 

 plumage is extremely variable ; young birds frequently show a buffy or 

 flaxen suffusion, and resemble a redpoll; but the yellowish coloration of 

 the wings and tail is peculiar, aud distinctive of the species. North Amer- 

 ica, breeding northerly, ranging throughout most of the United States, in 

 flocks, in the winter; abundant. Wils., ii, 133, pl. 17, f. 1 ; Nutt., i, 511 ; 

 Aud., iii, 125, pi. 180; Bd., 425; Coop., 172 pinus. 



* * Sexes unlike. Bill moderately acute. Not noticeably streaked. The adult 

 males with definite black on the crown, wings and tail. 



* I American Goldfinch. Yellowbird. Thistlebird. (Plate in, figs. 7, 8, 

 9, 10, 7a, 8a, 9a, 10a.) $ iu summer, rich yellow, changing to whitish 

 on the tail coverts ; a black patch on the crown ; wings black, more or less 

 edged and barred with white; lesser Wing coverts yellow; tail black, every 

 feather with a white spot ; bill and feet flesh-colored. In September, the 



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