344 FEMALE INDIGO FINCH. 
negligence or ignorance of his predecessors, are in fact dis- 
tinguished by large bills. 
The transfer of this species to the genus Fringilla renders 
a change necessary in the name of Loxza cyanea of Linné, an 
African bird, now a /ringilla of the subgenus Coccothraustes. 
The American bird belongs to Spzza, and, together with the 
Lringilla ctris and the beautiful Fringilla ameena, it may form 
a peculiar group, allied to Pringilla, Emberiza, and Tanagra, 
but manifestly nearest the former. 
The adult male, in full plumage, having been described by 
Wilson, may be omitted here. The female measures four 
inches and three-quarters in length, and nearly seven in extent, 
The bill is smal], compressed, and less than half an inch long ; 
is blackish above, and pale horn-colour beneath; the irides are 
dark brown; above she is uniformly of a somewhat glossy 
drab; between the bill and eyes, and on the cheeks, throat, and 
all the inferior parts, of a reddish clay colour, much paler on 
the belly, dingy on the breast, and strongly inclining to drab 
on the flanks, blending into the colour of the back, the shafts 
of the feathers being darker, giving somewhat of a streaked 
appearance ; the whole base of the plumage is lead colour ; 
the wings and tail are of a darker and less glossy brown, each 
feather being edged with lighter, more extended on the secon- 
daries, and especially the wing-coverts; the wings are two inches 
and a half long, not reaching, when folded, beyond the tail- 
coverts ; the first primary is subequal to the fourth, the second 
and third being longest ; the three outer, besides the first, are 
greatly attenuated on the outer web, half an inch from the 
point, where it is extremely narrow ; the tail is two inches in 
length, and but slightly emarginated ; the feet are dusky, the 
tarsus measuring three-quarters of an inch. 
The male, after his autumnal moult, exhibits pretty much 
the same dress, except being more or less tinged with bluish. 
We shall here observe, that we do not believe that the indi- 
vidual kept by Wilson in a cage through the winter, in which 
the gay plumage did not return for more than two months, 


