LOXTA.—COCCOTHRAUSTES. 425 
mexicana for this bird. When cither Spiza americana or Pyranga rubra has to be 
called Loxia mexicana a confusion will certainly arise, and then the name stricklandi 
will be useful. But is this likely to happen ? 
Very little has been recorded of ZL. mevicana in Mexico. Strickland’s type came 
into his possession in 1840, and formed part of a collection made by T. Mann probably 
in the Mexican highlands¢. Sumichrast only obtained a single specimen at Moyoapam 
in the alpine region of Orizaba, at an elevation of about 8200 feet above the sea ®. 
Other examples have been secured by White, Boucard, de Oca, and others. 
In Guatemala we only met with Z. mexicana on one occasion (in September 1861), 
when descending from the ridge which divides the plain of Salama from the valley of 
the Motagua. Several birds were feeding in some pine-trees. As we were unable to 
secure specimens there is some uncertainty as to whether these birds were really 
identical with L. mexicana, but we have not much doubt on the point. 
L. mexicana doubtless has the irregular habits of L. curvirostra and L. americana, 
which wander from place to place without having any definite migrations. They breed, 
too, at various seasons, often in midwinter. 
COCCOTHRAUSTES. 
Coccothraustes, Brisson, Orn. iii. p. 218 (1760). 
Hesperiphona, Bp. Compt. Rend. xxxi. p. 424; Coues, Key N. Am. B. ed. 2, p. 342. 
Coccothraustes with its subgenus Hesperiphona contains four or five species, and 
is distributed over a large portion of the Nearctic and Palearctic Regions—its 
distribution being somewhat similar to that of Carpodacus, except that Coccothraustes 
vulgaris is not an uncommon bird in the British Islands, where Carpodacus is 
practically unknown. In America two species occur—C. vespertinus in the Western 
States and Mexico, and C. abeillw@i in Southern Mexico and Guatemala. ‘The type of 
Coccothraustes (C. vulgaris) is peculiar in having the secondary feathers of the wings 
splayed out at their extremities; no formation of this kind is present in the American 
species. ; 
The bill of C. vespertinus is very stout and tumid- towards the base, especially of the 
maxilla, the culmen is nearly straight towards the base, but decurved towards the 
extremity, the tomia is gradually curved from the rictus and not angulated. The 
nostrils are completely hidden by stiff bristly black feathers springing from the base of 
the maxilla and lying close to it. The feet are moderate, the tarsus being shorter 
than the middle toe and claw, the lateral toes being short with small claws. The wing 
is long and pointed, the first, second, and third quills forming the wing end, the rest 
rapidly decreasing in length, the longest secondaries being a little longer than the 
shortest primaries. The tail is short and slightly furcate. 
BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. I., November 1886. 54 
