HAWFINCH. 
101 
to two hundred individuals. In this manner they remain 
through the winter, and only separate at the approach of 
spring. 
Male; weight, about two ounces; length, a trifle over seven 
inches; bill, pale brownish red, bluish in summer, the tip 
dusky: between it and the eye is a black streak, meeting the 
black of the throat in a point. Iris, greyish white: the 
black mark just extends behind it. Head, yellowish brown, 
paler on the forehead and the sides than on the crown; the 
neck behind is crossed by a broad band of ash-colour, on 
the sides it is pale brown; nape, fawn-colour; chin and 
throat, velvet black; breast, pale brown; back above, dark 
chesnut brown, next brownish grey, changing downwards to 
yellowish brown. 
The wings, which are of the width of eleven inches and a 
half, are broad; the first quill feather is a little shorter than 
the second, as is also the third, the fourth a little shorter 
still, and the rest gradually diminish in length; greater 
wing coverts, greyish white, and those next the body yellowish 
brown; lesser wing coverts, black, or blackish brown, some of 
them tipped with white; primaries, bluish black, the outer 
ones with a white spot on the inner web near the middle, 
the others greyish white: the fifth and four succeeding ones 
are curiously formed in the shape of a bill-hook or battle- 
axe at the end; the other quill feathers nearer the body are 
square at the end. The secondaries, which are long, have the 
greater part of the inner web greyish white; some of the 
tertiaries rich chesnut brown. Tail, short and black; the 
outside feather on each side is black at the base, and on 
the outer web, and half of the inner web, white; the next 
four feathers on each side have a large white spot on the 
end of both webs, the base black, the proportion of white 
diminishing on each feather; the middle ones are grey towards 
the end, and tinged with red on part of the inner web, the 
tips white: the two centre feathers are rather shorter than the 
rest. Upper tail coverts, yellowish brown; under tail coverts, 
white; legs, toes, and claws, pale brownish red. 
The female is in length rather under seven inches; she is 
like the male in appearance, but paler in colour; the black at 
the base of the bill, and between it and the eye, is less 
conspicuous; the different colours about the head, crown, and 
neck on the back, are less distinct and more blended together; 
the black on the chin is also less in size. The wing coverts 
