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“ ite . Tere ” aye Cope ° ‘
vast clouds in France, insomuch that the ground has been quite covered with their dung, and more than
ast ‘ c ’ < g
. rere |] > y I “ht a
six hundred dozen were killed each night. sg
The flight-power of the Brambling is quite equal to those of the other conirostral birds, such as the
© ie The x o rom place to c ’ (@) fe) ’
Linnet and Twite. When passing from place to place, or from the feeding-ground to its place of roost, its
flight is undulating and of remarkable swiftness. 8 jmilarity to the Chalet -
The sexes differ considerably in colour, presenting in this respect a simuarity to the Chaffinch, the fema e
Ste +h less brilliz an the male.
being much less brilliant than the mz t of the back shinine: BLAEINTaa a
In summer the male has the head, cheeks, nape, and upper part of the bé $ 3 Chin,
: oe , ast r esser wing-coverts rich rusty or
breast, sides of the neck, scapularies, and all but the last row of the les g oe
yellowish fawn-colour; the excepted row of coverts are pure white ; greater wing-coverts dull black, tipped
with buff and white ; primaries dull brownish black, finely margined with primrose-yellow, and with a mark
of white on the outer web, forming an oblique band across those feathers; secondaries darker than the
primaries, margined with whitish on their apical half, and with a white mark near the base, forming an
oblique band in an opposite direction to the one on the primaries ; axillaries stained with yellow ; lower part
of the back white ; upper tail-coverts black, frmged with grey; tail greyish black, the outer

feather paler
than the others, and having a narrow band of white commencing at the base of the outer web

, and passing

obliquely to near the tip of the inner one, where it unites with a line of white, bordering that part of the
web; under surface white, ornamented with oblong spots of black on the flanks ; vent stained with fawn-
colour; bill blackish blue, lightest at the base; feet and legs fleshy brown; irides very dark hazel,
approaching to black.

In the female, the parts which are black in the male are mottled with brown; the lower part of the back is
greyish white; the markings of the wings are similar, but very much less decided ;
secondaries, and tail-feathers are brown; the throat and under surface buff, be
of the abdomen; the bill yellow at the base of the under mandible 3 upper mandible horn-colour.

In winter the male has the parts which are deep black in summer mottled with fawn-colour, the mar
of the feathers being of that hue; the lower part of the bacl
margined with primrose-yellow ; and the secondaries with ric
with a black tip.

and the primaries,
coming paler on the lower part

gins
< nearly black; the primaries more strongly
h fawn-colour ;_ bill yellowish white at the base,
The female is similar; but the black marks on the head assume the form of
line down each side of the back of the neck; the side
fainter than in the male.

a border to the crown and a
s of the neck are grey; and the general colouring much

The plate represents a male, a female, anda ne

st of the size of nature, anda reduced bird in the distance in
the plumage of winter.