one has a remarkably~good g u n .. -But,- on waiting S few
minutes, you .see the flock, usually cftagèaaiiÜ. pfos^i|i^pr'
eight individuals j. descend--from bran A to branch, and betake
themselves"ito the ground, where they pick up gravel.-|§fep
towards the nearest pool ois-streamlet, and ba’tl^H^dipping
their heads,- and scattering the-water dyer them,,until they*
are quite wet t after which they flylip^je b r a n c h ; ^ ' low
bushes, shake themselves^ with so' much vigour as to produce
a smart rustling^sound, and arrange>thek plumage-* They
then search for food among l^rbbugKs^of the tallentr&esI lH
In the mafodbird from which the figure was- drawfu, the;
beak is dark brown, the lower mandilj^tingéd with dark red ;
the base of the upper mandibfëïahd^the^^^lsurroiind^.ï with
a narrow band|of idusk^bliek^-&thb- iridl^h^p|gA§jWholê*óf
the head, cheeky ear-coverts, and the ne(|k:-,behihd,-;vermili^
red ; the feathers of the back and;.seapulars,,gr.eysh$?$]
margined with red ;~thbse of lhe^inm^aincktthe tipper tail-
coverts with broadekmargins -of Irgdf,ipK>dueipg-<as thgpwKcr-
Iay each other a continuous-surface mf red^colour.lilfe that on
th^tiead and negk| -the .wing-coverts-and quiU-j^theffiffiqjp-
ish black ; Jbofeh sets of wingreovertslwith broad oüteWld^esV
and the tips whiter but tinged with red; all the,,quiHifeatIu|&
with harrow "outer edging of whit%'ftinged with red on the
proximal half of the-Jirst six o f the primaries^ ^aifcfeatheirs
uniform greyish black ;;;the taaHn form slightly forked^ The
chin, throat, breast, v and ^Mes, yermilion -fed/^ but tlmfeal
therk, if raised, are found to 3èdïkva kbese on the upgefc. s.ttl-
face of the bird, grey at the b a s e t h e T||]S^|^vent,J and
tail-Coverts, French grey, the latter edged, with white ;^uMdêr
surface of wings and tail slate grey H e g s and toes'blackish
brown ; the claws black. ^
The wKbfof length of the bird eight inches; -From the*
carpal joint to the end of the wing four inches and a half ;
the third quill-feather o f the wing the longest; the second
very little shorter than the third ; the first feather a little
g o rie r thart tie ' fourth, and both shorter than the second;
1>he fifth- onwuarter of an iqch shorter than the fourth.
This'bkd i^3coaksi'4^d» torbe a young male after his first
autumnal moult-jalfd this pl^uuige is retained till the second
yfsttfr, when^ «according ? ttfr ^ailthOrs^-‘all the red parts become
mcfle or fosp§||ge(I/with yellowish oraUge,: v
The adult female; killed''ul,.Harrow has the beak orange
brown ; the irhfes^hazel the head, ear-coverts, and back of
jw^l'II^|lfoil-e^:^llow; back and scapulars slatetgrcy; rump
an t ^ p e t tai^covml. iion^-yieflw, like the colour p f the
head f -botlbrgpfe o^wl^^^verts,*'and all the-quill-feathers,
"greyish. blaek,-r,e7d® ^ a n d tipped (i|fith white, without any of
the redr^n?ge -»foJ)|frved«on the w-Kite-dlf young males ; tail
abfp^jufbrm g E i^ ^ 1’ black >; all tf e ; under surface of this
bird, Beilin to -t$e? uifiies tail-coverts, uniform ashigrey
,claws, dark brown.
Fefomes^when Dweibthan this bird, have the head, rump,
^fikl lapjoer tail^^^^t^Brabgei^el'low. When younger than
dimbifd^the same parts are greenish brown.
*-*Ydung birds of tie year, before their first moult, resemble
the female*,-'but are more tinged'with brown..