136 



. YARRELL'S GOLDFINCH. 



Carduelis Yarrellii, Jiud. 



PLATE CLXXXIV.— Male and Female. 



I am indebted to my friend William Swainson, Esq., the well-known 

 naturalist, for skins of a pair of this pretty little bird, from which I made 

 the drawing of the Male and Female represented in the Plate. As the 

 species is found in Upper California, it may be considered as forming part of 

 our Fauna. 



Upper California. 



Mexican Goldfinch, Fringilla Mexicana, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. v. p. 282. 



Adult Male. 



Bill shorter than the head, conical, compressed toward the end, very stout, 

 with the tip acute; upper mandible with the dorsal line declinate and very 

 slightly convex, the edge rather distinct, the sides rounded, the edges sharp, 

 declinate at the base; lower mandible with the angle short and wide, the 

 dorsal line almost straight, being very slightly concave, the sides convex, the 

 edges inflected, the tip acute. Nostrils basal, round, concealed by the feathers. 



Head large, broadly ovate; neck short. Feet rather short; tarsus short, 

 compressed, with seven anterior scutella, and two lateral plates meeting 

 behind so as to form a very sharp edge; toes rather large, the first stouter, 

 the lateral nearly equal; claws rather long, moderately arched, much com- 

 pressed, laterally grooved, very acute. 



Plumage very soft and blended; short stiffish feathers at the base of the 

 bill. Wings ratber long, little concave; the second, third, and fourth pri- 

 maries cut out toward the end; the second longest, the first half a twelfth 

 shorter, the third scarcely a quarter of a twelfth shorter than the second, 

 and exceeding the fourth by a twelfth; some of the secondaries slightly 

 emarginate. Tail rather short, emarginate, the feathers obliquely and nar- 

 rowly rounded. 



Bill flesh-coloured, somewhat dusky above. Feet and claws yellowish- 

 brown. The upper part of the head is deep black; the back and scapulars 

 yellowish-green, the hind neck and rump greenish-yellow; the wings and 

 tail brownish-black, the former when extended crossed by two bands, one 



