THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. Oio 



Adult Male. 



Bill short, robust, bulging at the base, conical, acute; upper mandible with 

 its dorsal outline a little convex, the sides rounded, the edges sharp; lower 

 mandible with its dorsal outline also a little convex, the sides rounded, the 

 edges inflected; the gap-line is deflected at the base, then straight to the end. 

 Nostrils basal, roundish, open, partly concealed by the feathers. Head 

 rather large, neck short, general form robust. Legs of moderate length, 

 rather strong; tarsus anteriorly covered with a few scutella, the upper long, 

 posteriorly sharp; toes scutellate above, free, the lateral ones nearly equal; 

 claws slender, arched, compressed, acute, that of the hind toe not much 

 larger. 



Plumage soft and blended, but firm and elastic. Wings of moderate 

 length, broad, the second, third, and fourth quills longest, the secondaries 

 rounded. Tail longish, slightly emarginate, of twelve rounded feathers. 



Bill white. Iris hazel. Feet greyish-blue. The head all round, includ- 

 ing the upper part of the neck, the hind neck, the back} wings, and tail, 

 glossy black; the first row of coverts, the tips of the secondary coverts, the 

 basal half of the primary quills, and the inner webs towards the end of the 

 three lateral tail-feathers, white, as is the rump, that part, however, being 

 spotted with black. Lower neck and middle of the breast of a bright 

 carmine tint; lower wing coverts white, tinged with carmine. 



Length 7f- inches, extent of wings 13; bill along the back ff, along the 

 edge y%; tarsus \^. 



Adult Female. 



The female differs greatly from the male in external appearance. The 

 bill brown above, paler beneath; iris hazel; feet as in the male. The general 

 colour of the plumage above is olivaceous-brown, spotted with brownish- 

 black, the central part of each feather being of the latter colour. On the 

 head is a central longitudinal band of pale yellowish-grey, spotted with dark 

 brown, then on each side a dark brown band, and above the eye a white 

 one; a brown band from the bill to the eye and beyond it, and under this a 

 whitish band. There are two white bands on the wings as in the male, but 

 narrower and duller. The quills and tail are brown. The lower parts light 

 brownish-yellow, fading behind into white; the fore neck, breast, and sides 

 marked with small longitudinal spots or streaks of dark-brown. The lower 

 wing-coverts very slightly tinged with rose-colour. 



Young Male in autumn. 



After the first moult, the young male resembles the female, but already 

 shews the rosy tints both on the breast and on the under wing-coverts. 



Young in first plumage. 



In this state also the young resemble the female. 



Vol. III. 35 



