i'RINGILLID^ — THE FINCHES. 489 



Sp. Char. Bill greatly compressed, and acute towards the point. Male carmine red, 

 tinged with dusky across the back; the sides of body under the wings streaked with 

 brown; from the miildle of belly to the tail-coverts whitish, the latter streaked with 

 brown. Scapulars, wings, and tail black ; two broad bands on the wings across the ends 

 of greater and median coverts ; white spots on the end of the inner tertiarics. Female 

 brownish, tinged with olive-green in places ; feathers of the back and crown with dusky 

 centres ; rump bright brownish-yellow. Length about 6.25 ; wing, 3..50 ; tail, 2.60. 



Hab. Northern parts of North America generally; Greenland (Reinii. Ilii.s, HI, ISGl, 

 8) ; England, (September 17, Gould, Birds Great Britain). 



The white bands on the wings distinouish this species from the pre- 

 ceding, although there are some otiier difterences in form of l.iill, feet, 

 wing, etc. There is less variation in form and color among si)ecimens than 

 in the preceding. It differs from the European analogue, Z. hi/asciata, ac- 

 cording to authors, in the more slender luxly and liill, and in having the 

 body pomegranate-red, with blackisli back, instead of cinnabar-red, as in 

 curvirodra and amcricaiKi. lionaparte and Schlegel quote the American 

 species as occurring in the Himalaya Mountains, and perhaps Japan, but 

 throw doubts on the sup[)Osed European localities. 



Habits. Both the distribution and habits of this species are probably, iu 

 all essential respects, the same with those of the preceding. It is, if any- 

 thing, a more northern bird, and it has not been detected anywliere on the 

 Pacific coast south of British America. It was ibund in the Arctic regions 

 by Sir John IJichardson, where the other species was not observed. He 

 found it inhaljiting the den.se wliite-spruce forests of the fur country, feeding 

 principally (m the seeds of their cones. Up to the si.xty-eiglith i)arallel he 

 found them ranging througli the whole breadth of the continent. It is sup- 

 posed to go as far as tiiese woods e.xtend, thougli it has not been traced far- 

 tlier than the sixty-second degree. It was found i'eeding on the upper 

 branches, clinging to them when wounded, and remaining suspended even 

 after death. In September they collected in small tiocks, and Hew from tree 

 to tree with a chattering noise. In the depth of winter they retire front the 

 coast to the thick woods of the interior. 



A few individuals of this species are recorded by Professor Ileinliardt as 

 having been taken in South Greenland. 



In Penn.sylvania this species is mucli more rare tlian the amerkana , and 

 Wilson only met witli a few specimens. Since his day it lias been found 

 more alnindantly, occasionally in tlie neighljorhood of Pliiladelphia. 



Mr. l)ull states tliat these lairds were not uncommon near Nulato in the 

 winter. Several specimens were obtained in February and April. None 

 were found there in the summer. He speaks of their great expertness in 

 opening the spruce cones with their curved bills, and extracting the seeds. 



Its appearance in Eastern Massachusetts is much more irregular both as to 



numbers and time tluin tliat of the other species. In the fall and winter of 



1868 and 1869 they were uncommonly abundant, appearing early in the fall, 



and remaining until quite late in the sjiring. Tiiey were even more fearle.ss 



62 



