146 BROWN SONG-FINCH. 



Fringilla cinerea, Gmel. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 922. 



Cinereous Finch, Arct. Zool., vol. ii. N. 260. 



Brown Song Sparrow, Fringilla cinerea, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. v. p. 22. 



Adult Male. 



Bill short, stout, conical, compressed toward the end; upper mandible with 

 the dorsal line very slightly convex, at the base and toward the tip, the ridge 

 narrow, and extending a short way on the forehead, where it tapers to a 

 point, the sides rounded, the edges inflected, the tip pointed, the gap-line 

 nearly straight, a little deflected at the base; lower mandible of the same 

 breadth as the upper, with the angle very short and broad, the dorsal line 

 ascending and straight, the back broad at the base, the sides rounded, the 

 edges involute, the tip pointed. 



Head of moderate size, ovate; neck short; body full. Feet of moderate 

 length and rather stout; tarsus rather short, compressed, anteriorly covered 

 with seven scutella, posteriorly with two longitudinal plates meeting so as 

 to form a very sharp edge; toes moderate, the first strong, the lateral equal; 

 claws rather long, slender, much compressed, laterally grooved, moderately 

 arched, very acute. 



Plumage soft and blended, the feathers ovate. There are no distinct 

 bristles at the base of the upper mandible. Wings short, concave, broad, 

 much rounded; the first quill four-twelfths and three-fourths shorter than the 

 fourth, which is the longest, the rest very little graduated, the outer seconda- 

 ries slightly emarginate, the inner not elongated. Tail rather long, slender, 

 much rounded, the lateral feathers being five-twelfths of an inch shorter than 

 the longest. 



Bill dusky, the lower mandible reddish-brown toward the base. Feet and 

 claws dusky reddish-brown. The general colour of the upper parts is dark 

 olivaceous brown, all the feathers dusky in the centre; the wing-co veils, 

 inner secondaries and tail-feathers more or less tinged with red on the 

 margins. Over the eye is a dusky greyish line; on the cheek a whitish line, 

 and beneath it a dusky brown band; the throat and fore part of the neck 

 white, with longitudinal brown streaks, the middle of the breast brownish- 

 white, the sides dark greyish-brown, as are the lower tail-coverts. 



Length to end of tail 6 inches; extent of wings 8; bill along the ridge f|; 

 wing from flexure Sy^; tail 2|f ; tarsus {%; hind toe y| , its claw yf ; middle 

 toe f-|, its claw y|. 



The female is similar to the male. 



