140 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1896. 



Female. — Retains the brown plumage permanently ; there is no 

 spring molt. 

 Pinicola enucleator (Linn.). Pine Grosbeak. 



So far as I can judge from winter specimens the account of the 

 Purple Finch applies equally well to this. 



Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm). American Crossbill. 

 Lozia leucoptera Gmel. White-winged Crossbill. 



The molting of the Crossbills is more complicated than would appear 

 at first sight and there is probably great individual variation as 

 to the time and extent of the change in coloration of the plum- 

 age. Mr. W. E. D. Scott has shown that some males assume the 

 red dress immediately upon losing the first plumage, while others are 

 known to breed in the yellow or green dress. The tints are subject 

 to great individual variation, as also the purity of the red plum- 

 age, many specimens showing a greater or less mixture of green. 

 Furthermore, the red plumage may be partly replaced by green at 

 a subsequent molt, as one molting specimen has the throat quite red 

 while a majority of the new throat feathers, just coming in are 

 green. The annual molt of the Crossbill begins about August 1, 

 (Somerset Co., Maine). There seems to be a slight spring molt, 

 most pronounced on the throat and breast. 



Female. — Retains the green plumage at all seasons. 

 AcantMs linaria (Linn.). Redpoll. 



While I have no molting specimens of the Redpoll for examina- 

 tion, I think from a comparison of a large winter series, that the 

 change of plumage is effected in the same way as in Carpodacus. 

 The variation in the extent of the pink color on the breast of males 

 is probably largely individual. 



It is generally stated that the crimson patch on the head is inten- 

 sified by a "scaling off" of the surface of the feathers but I cannot 

 furnish any evidence upon this point. 



Spinus tristis (Linn.). American Goldfinch. 



Male. — Three j^lumages are recognizable, first, winter and nup- 

 tial. The birds of the year seem to have more brown on the edges 

 of the wing feathers which in the older birds are nearly pure white, 

 but I am not sure that this is constant. Annual molt occurs between 

 the middle of September and the middle of October, and at about 

 the same time the young bird renews its body feathers. There is a 

 complete molt of the body feathers in spring from about the middle 



