GOLD-FINCH. 461 



from the white spot on the hind head : back, rump, 

 and breast, pale brown : wing-coverts black, in the 

 male; quills the same, marked in the middle 

 of each feather with yellow, forming a large 

 patch of that colour, on the wing, when closed ; 

 tips white : tail-feathers black, with most of them 

 spotted with white at their tips, and the two 

 outer ones in the middle : legs white : female has 

 the feathers at the base of the beak, and the wing- 

 coverts, brown, and the black and yellow on the 

 wings less brilliant. 



This species is subject to very great variety, of 

 which we shall notice the following, as being the 

 most remarkable. It has the beak surrounded with 

 a saffron-coloured ring : the rest of the head and 

 upper parts blackish : breast greenish black: 

 belly and under parts brownish ash-colour : edge 

 of the wing greenish black : quills black, with 

 more white than common in them, the usual 

 yellow parts being only yellowish : tail black. 



Dr. Latham has given a great many variations of 

 this bird in his work, which we will endeavour to 

 describe as concise as is agreeable to the limits of 

 this work. The first differs from the common one 

 in having the fore-part of the head red, and the 

 region of the eyes white : the next has the head 

 striped alternately with red and white : another 

 has the head, throat, and neck, black, with a red 

 spot near the beak : one has the forehead, cheeks, 

 and throat, red ; the other parts of the body, 

 except the wings and tail, which are brownish-ash, 

 whitish ; and that part of the wings which is 



