90 
C R ni S 0 X - A V I X G E I) G R O S 1 5 ]•: A K . 
Tins beautiful species is closely allied to tlie Desert 
Trumpeter, Pyrrhula githayinea. It has been included 
with it and Frinyilla obsoleta, by Liclitenstcin, in the 
genus Erythrosjnza, in which arrangement he was fol- 
lowed by Bonaparte. Subsecpicntly Cabanis placed this 
bird in a new genus, that of llhodopechys , in Avhich 
he was also followed by the versatile Prince of Canino. 
It differs, however, from the Bullfinches in the size 
and form of the beak, and belongs, I think, more 
strictly to the genus Coccothraustes , although here 
again the form of the wing is different. 
Bonaparte says of it in his “Conspectus Avium 
Europearum.” p. 28: — “This elegant Enythrosjnza 
phcenicoptera, which does not differ from the Frinyilla 
sanyiiinea of Gould, from the confines of Persia and 
Circassia, claims its place in the ornithology of Europe, 
which it can always ensure by a few movements of 
its wings. It is essentially sedentary, only changing 
from plains to mountains,” 
In addition to the above places, Erzerouin may be 
mentioned more particularly as a locality; in the neigh- 
bourhood of which place it is found in flocks of five 
or six. It occurs also in the southern parts of Africa. 
In its habits it very much resembles P. githayinea, 
living among rocks and stones in the desert, and 
feeding upon seeds. 
The male in breeding plumage has the top of the 
head black; the nape, back, scapularies, and wing 
coverts rich chesnut brown, checks, throat, and flanks, 
being a brown of a lighter shade. Wings black, with 
the first two-thirds of all the primaries, except the 
first, rich crimson, the secondaries being broadly tippled 
with very pure white; upper tail coverts crimson; tail 
black, with the exception of the most external on each 
