I 
EVENING GROSBEAK. 
belly. Although these colours are all very pure, they are not 
definitely separated, but pass very insensibly into each other; 
thus the black of the crown passes into the dark brown of the 
neck, which becoming lighter by degrees, is blended with the 
yellow of the back: the same thing takes place beneath, where 
the olive brown of the breast passes by the nicest gradations 
into the yellow of the posterior parts: the whole base of the 
plumage is pale bluish plumbeous, white before the tips of the 
feathers; the femorals are black skirted with yellow; the wings 
are four and a half inches long; the smaller, middling, and 
exterior larger wing-coverts are deep black, as well as the 
spurious wing; those nearest the body are white, black at the 
origin only; the quills are deep black, the three outer being 
subequal and longest, attenuated on their outer web at the 
point, and inconspicuously tipped with whitish; the secondaries 
are marked with white on their inner web, that colour extending 
more and more as they approach the body, the four or five 
nearest being entirely pure white, like their immediate coverts, 
and slightly and inconspicuously edged with yellow externally; 
the tail is two and a half inches long, slightly forked, and as well 
as its long superior coverts, very deep black; the outer feather 
on each side has on the inner vane, towards the tip, a large, 
roundish, white spot, which seems disposed to become obliterated, 
as it is much more marked on one, than on that of the other side 
which corresponds to it, and does not exist in all specimens: a 
similar spot is perceptible on the second tail-feather, where it is 
however nearly obliterated; the feet are flesh colour, the nails 
blackish, the tarsus measuring three-quarters of an inch. 
No difference of any consequence is observable between the 
sexes; though it might be said that the female is a little less in 
size, and rather duller in plumage. 
I 
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