will erect round the throat a yellow white is encircled a sort of oval patch on either side below the eye is pure white the of neck is pale brown beyond the most glossy black and purple the back and wings a splendid olive green having rainbow reflections of deeper tints of blue and steel colour and history of the golden beautifully while the belly is white the wings are steel blue or ash with white and chestnut red in parts the tail short black with white at extremity legs a dusky purple red the young have a little more yellow in the the colours of the female are slightly subdued the the golden � the presence or want of a hind toe seems to have decided our upon their distribution of the family there are two species of so called the great the golden also entitled stone and also the grey and the the last of which as the most interesting of the family we take as the head of the list although the smallest of the species it is scarcely ten inches long and its weight is no more than from seven to eight this bird is common in britain on islands where there are few or no inhabitants where they can the ground with their nests and as it were claim its inherent possession it occurs abundantly on our in winter and contrary to the habits of the grey species is seen in vast flocks it is thus known far and wide among the of scotland the of ireland and in our own country in every suitable locality in such when the ceased her t was silence all nothing can well be more noisy than this family let an intruder but approach the brood and off she flies wailing and out her singular cry in very advance of the enemy then after of the absence of danger she will away through the loved by the ere she again returns to her young the breeding begins to change as soon as the bird settles in her the nest is made with great carelessness and lined very indifferently with mere or materials close at hand the nest is a mere the golden ground or scratched hollow towards the young grown birds descend in flocks to the or wet meadows and towards winter they are again on the and become excessively shy just before that period they are killed in great numbers while describing those flight circles which bring them so near to the gun of the they resort greatly to and nothing can be more pleasing to the eye than the summer of this beautiful bird the deep soft rich black about its head and throat the white and yellow immediately with that hue on the sides and under tail the fine pale brown of the back and other parts the forehead streak of white the shot purple of its neck and the of yellow on each feather marking their contrast on this part from the of the neck where the feathers are dark in the and edged with gold colour and so on through the whole brightly the winter dress though not very brings more ash colour and grey to the feathers and a paler yellow while the hues between winter and summer are always richly varied the bill is black the legs grey the female in the distinctness and depth of the colours sir w that the correct limits of the species have not been ascertained and that the and american birds are distinct he is inclined to believe that the foreign golden is the c a smaller natural history of the grey bird but be possesses specimens from america as rt is said agreeing witb our bird in every particular this is the of french authors the third species of the true is a foreign one � the c and a most beautiful creature according to the specimens we have seen of it the the grey or of british authors � this bird is at least twelve inches long and twenty four broad its weight rather more than that of the golden we have no reason to conclude it to be a summer in england but in other parts of the year and after the breeding season it is often found assembled together in small although never in tlie same flocks as the more abundant kind the golden thus we see it on our north eastern in the islands in the south and generally on the borders of scotland its range is greatly more extensive according to different authors we may place it in the islands and northern europe as a summer and winter guest br believes that it in bay egypt and and on the highest hills has seen in june some birds on the islands the shops in london exhibit them early in the season but in the latter case they may have already put on their attire in the former some few birds may have been wounded and unable to the the dress of the grey kind is of different shades in each feather marked with grey ash or yellow while the summer contains a great deal of the richest black and the underneath parts much with white such as the vent tail c the upper portions of back c finely in each feather edged with white upper tail white barred with brown part of the distance central feathers coming to a point feathers black the shares in the nature of the and other birds of similar habits but in an inferior degree as soon as the brood leaves the egg the parent bird leads them about for as they are thickly covered with down they require less care than birds of the poultry kind the characters of the are thus described by the accurate pen of � bill rather strong on the towards the tip which is hard wide more than half 