CHAFFINCH. 87 



follows : — The forehead is black ; the crown of the head, 

 nape, and sides of the neck are bluish lead-colour; and some 

 of the lesser coverts of the wings the same : the throat, 

 sides of the face, and breast, are dull pink, tinged with 

 rufous ; the flanks are pink, the belly white : the bastard 

 wing and greater coverts are black, the latter broadly tipped 

 with yellowish-white : some of the lesser coverts of the wings 

 are white, forming a conspicuous bar. The primary and 

 secondary quills are brownish black, edged with yellow, 

 and some of them have their basal part white, forming 

 a distinct spot : the tertials are dusky, edged with reddish 

 brown. The back and scapulars are chesnut, the rump 

 olive ; the upper coverts and the two middle feathers of 

 the tail are lead-colour, tinged with olive : the rest of the 

 tail feathers are black, the exterior feather obliquely marked 

 with white, taking in the whole of the outer web ; the next is 

 tipped with white. The beak is blue, tipped with black ; 

 the iris hazel ; the legs dusky flesh-colour. After the 

 autumnal moult, the colours of the feathers appear much 

 obscured, and the base of the beak becomes whitish. 



The plumage of the female is very different : her beak 

 is brownish flesh-colour, her head, back, and scapulars 

 greyish olive ; her cheeks are olive, and all her under parts 

 brownish white, darkest on the breast : her wings have white 

 bars and spots, as in the male, and yellow edges, but all the 

 darker parts are olive-brown instead of black ; and the same 

 observation applies to her tail. 



The young males resemble the female until after their 

 first autumnal moult, when they begin to show indications of 

 their future colouring. 



