GREATER REDPOLE FINCH. .517 



breast, at certain seasons, and have been the occa- 

 sion of its being described as two species : in full 

 plumage, the male has the beak blueish : irides 

 hazel: head light brown, the feathers on the 

 crown darkest in the middle : sides of the neck 

 inclining to cinereous : the forehead rosy red : 

 back, scapulars, and wing-coverts deep rufous 

 brown, lightest on the rump, and palest on the 

 margin of each feather : breast brown, more or 

 less spotted like the crown of the head : belly 

 light rufous brown : vent nearly white : quills 

 dusky black, with more or less white on their 

 webs, forming a conspicuous bar of that colour on 

 the wings : tail forked ; the feathers similar to the 

 quills, black, margined with white, which latter 

 colour predominates on the inner webs : tail-co- 

 verts black, with grey edges: legs brown : female 

 more dusky brown : wing-coverts rufous brown; 

 sides of the throat dirty white, the middle part 

 streaked ■ breast and sides pale brown, with 

 dusky streaks : quills and tail like the male, but 

 not so deeply fringed with white. The Linnet of 

 Anthors differs principally in having the breast of 

 a deep crimson ; which colour disappears after 

 some time, and never returns ; and in wanting the 

 red spot on the forehead : but in respect to the 

 latter distinction, Dr. Latham gives it as his opi- 

 nion, that the red feathers do not appear till the 

 end of the second year ; having observed a male 

 in which the forehead appeared similar in colour 

 to the rest of the body, but on lifting up the fea- 

 thers with a pin, a tinge of red was very perceptible j 



