576 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. IX. 



one of these to us for examination which has been marked as holhoellii 

 by Ridgway and Fisher, who identified a number of redpolls for him 

 at the time." (Birds of Wisconsin, 1903, p. 93.) 



241b. Acanthis linaria rostrata (Coues). 



Greater Redpoll. 



Distr. : Greenland (where it breeds) and northeastern North 

 America; accidental or casual in winter in northeastern United States 

 (Illinois, Michigan, New England, etc.). 



Winter plumage: Larger than holboellii or linaria; wing, not less 

 than 3.06; the marking of the plumage, darker and stripes on the 

 under parts, larger; the bill, heavier; rump and under tail coverts 

 streaked distinctly with dusky; sides and flanks streaked; breast, 

 rose-pink; rest of under parts, white or whitish; a black spot on the 

 chin; crown with more or less metallic red; bill, yellowish, with dark 

 tip. Female similar, but lacking the pink tinge on the breast. 



Male: Wing, 3.06 to 3.30; tail, 2.35 to 2.70; bill, .32 to .42; 

 depth of bill, .25 to .32. 



Female: Wing, 3 to 3.25; tail, 2.40 to 2.60; bill, .32 to .42; 

 depth of bill, .25 to .30. 



A rare winter straggler to Illinois, although apparently more com- 

 mon in Wisconsin. Mr. W. W. Cooke writes: " The only instance of 

 its capture within the Mississippi Valley is the record of a specimen 

 taken Nov. 2, 1878, at Chicago, by Mr. H. K. Coale." (Bird Migration 

 Mississippi Valley, 1888, p. 182.) Mr. Ridgway writes: "Mr. H. K. 

 Coale has taken this bird near Chicago and has kindly sent me for 

 examination the specimens which he secured." (Orn. of 111., 1889, 

 p. 235.) In the catalogue of Birds of the British Museum (Vol. XII, 

 1888, p. 251), Dr. Sharpe includes in his list of specimens of this spe- 

 cies the following: o" ad., Chicago, 111., Nov. 2, 1873 {sic) (H. K. Coale) 

 (wing T,.^). Mr. F. M. Woodruff states: " There is a specimen in the 

 collection of the Chicago Academy of Sciences taken in the seventies 

 by Mr. C. N. Holden, which is in the plumage of the young male." 

 (Birds Chicago Area, 1907, p. 131.) 



Regarding the occurrence of the Greater Redpoll in Wisconsin, 

 Messrs. Kumlien and HoUister state: "Winter visitant. Mr. Clark 

 collected over thirty of these birds in Dunn Co., during the winter of 

 1895-6. '^ * * * * A series sent us by Mr. Clark at the time, in 

 the flesh, all proved to be of this variety, and specimens of this and 

 the other races were identified for him later by Prof. Robert Ridgway. 

 Specimens have also been received from Stevens Point and Iron 



