FRINGILLA TEMPORALIS, Latham. 

 Temporal Finch. 



PLATE XII.— Fig. 1. Male.— 2. Female. 



F. olivaceo-brimnea, subtus grisea, capite ccerulescente-griseo, tenia per oculos, uro- 

 pigioque coccineis. — Taenia in foemiria caret. 



Fringilla temporalis, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp. xlviii. No. 4. — Fig. £f Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xv. 



p. 25S. 

 Temporal Finch, Lath. Gen. Hist. vi. p. 115. No. 9l.< — Shaw, Gen. Zool. ix. p. 533. — Leivin, 



Birds of New Holland, pi. 12. 

 Red-bill, Caley's MS. Notes to Birds in Coll. of Linn. Soc. 



X his is a very common species in New Holland, appearing in large flocks 

 during the winter in the gardens and enclosed grounds. It feeds principally 

 on seeds, and different kinds of grain : it is easily tamed, and often kept in 

 confinement. According to Mr Caley (whom we have already mentioned 

 as having added largely to our knowledge of Australasian birds) it is called 

 by the settlers Red bill. They frequently visited his garden during the win- 

 ter, to feed on a species of grass-seed, in such numbers that above forty were 

 killed at a shot. 



The length of the male is four inches, the bill short and strong, and of a 

 dull scarlet-red colour, from whence the species most probably derives its pro- 

 vincial name ; the head and back of the neck are blackish-grey, passing into 

 bluish-grey on the breast and under part of the throat ; over each eye there 

 is a streak of bright scarlet-red, which extends backward above the auricular 

 feathers, and occupies the space between the eye and the bill above the 

 rictus ; the back, shoulders, greater wing-coverts, and edges of the quill- 

 feathers, yellow oil-green, shaded into the bluish-grey of the neck and sides ; 

 the upper tail-coverts are scarlet-red, and are considerably lengthened ; the 

 lower part of the breast, vent, thighs, and under tail-coverts, pale sienna-yel- 

 low ; the quills and inner webs of the secondaries are clove-brown ; the tail 

 is much cuneated, the centre feathers are dark blackish-brown, the others 

 getting lighter as they approach the outside ; the legs, feet and claws yellow- 

 ish-brown. 



The female is somewhat smaller : the colours of the plumage are gene- 

 rally duller, the scarlet streak over the eyes is wanting, and those parts which 

 are bluish-grey in the male, are hair-brown in the female. 



(12) e 2 



