258 



NORTHERN ZOOLOGY. 



pleasantly. It winters in the United States, arriving in Pennsylvania towards the 

 end of October, in flocks of ten or twelve, which frequent low, sheltered thickets, 

 and are almost continually scraping the ground among the fallen leaves*. — R. 



DESCRIPTION 

 Of a female, killed at Great Bear Lake, lat. 65£°, June 7, 1826. 



Colour. — Head and neck smoke-grey. Tips of most of the feathers, particularly on the 

 back, chestnut-brown, which becomes bright-ferruginous on the rump, tail, and exterior 

 portion of all the wing feathers. Wing coverts tipped with brownish-white, forming two 

 narrow bars : inner web of the quills umber-brown. Orbits white, mottled with brown. 

 Ground colour of the under plumage, ears, sides of the neck, and middle of the throat, 

 thickly varied with triangular spots of bright chestnut, leaving the middle of the throat almost 

 white : flanks spotted in the same way ; but the chestnut is duller, and inclined to black. 

 Middle of the belly and under tail coverts white. Bill umber-yellow, dark above. Legs 

 yellowish. 



Form, aberrant. Bill-\ thicker at the base and much more perfectly conic than that of 

 F. Pennsylvanica : the length of both is the same ; but, in this, the notch is not perceptible. 

 In the construction of the wing and the tail, these two birds agree ; but, in this, the tail is 

 shorter and not so much rounded : the legs also are much stouter, in which, and in the 

 greater development and size of the lateral toes and claws, this species much more resem- 

 bles Pipilo. The hind toe and claw is not much longer than that of Pennsylvanica, to 

 which form, upon the whole, our present bird makes the nearest approach. The first and 

 fifth quills are equal, the intermediate ones are the longest, and nearly all of equal length. 

 Tail very slightly rounded. — Sw. 



Dimensions. 



Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. 



Length, total . . .76 Length of bill above . .0 5 Length of middle toe . 9 



,, of tail . .29 „ of bill to rictus .07 „ of its nail . .0 3 



,, of folded wing .35 „ of tarsus . . 11 „ of hind nail . 4 



* The Jabotew of Le Vaillant (Ois.d'Af., p. 112, f. 1), belonging to the genus Phyllastrephus, Sw., is a most 

 remarkable representation of this bird. We feel fully persuaded it is a Rasorial type of form ; but of what genus we 

 are at present ignorant. — Sw. 



f The bill, in size and shape, perfectly resembles that of Fringilla grammica, Bon. ; but the cutting margin is 

 nearly straight, not, as in that, obviously sinuated : the feet also are more robust. Both may possibly be aberrant 

 forms of this group. — Sw. 



