Land birds. 473 



of twigs and beard-moss, but sometimes strips of decayed wood and bark, 

 grasses and plant-down, were added. Some of the nests were seventy 

 feet from the ground, while others were placed in low bushes. 



The eggs are described as "pale blue, dotted chiefly at the larger end 

 with black and hlac; averaging .80 by .56 inches" (Coues). 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult male: General color rosy red, sometimes almost carmine on head, breast and 

 rump, and generally without any trace of the brick-red color of the preceding species; 

 usually a black patch back of the ear-coverts, sometimes connected with a black stripe 

 from behind the eye; scapulars also black, and this color often extending across the lower 

 back, forming a black bar between the red of the interscapulars and rump; wings black, 

 with two conspicuous white bars, and the tertiaries also often edged and tipped with white; 

 tail black, sometimes very narrowly edged with whitish; bill, feet and iris brown. 



Adult female: General color olive-green or grayish-olive, washed with yellowish as in 

 the Red Crossbill, but the wings always with the two white bars; the wings also are merely 

 dusky or brownish black, not pure black as in the male. Young at first are streaked above 

 and below, but otherwise resemble the mature female. As they grow older the males 

 change from yellowish to yellow, orange, and finally to crimson, but tliis probably not 

 until the second year. 



Length 6 to 6.50 inches; wing about 3.50; tail 2.60. 



211. Greenland Redpoll. Acanthis hornemanni hornemanni (Holb.). (527) 



Synonyms: Greenland Mealy Redpoll. — Linota hornemanni, Holboll, 1843. — Acanthis 

 hornemanni, A. O. U. Check-list, 1886, and most recent writers.- — ^'Egiothus cancescens, 

 Coues, 1861. 



The Redpolls (genus Acanthis) are described by Ridgway as "small, 

 streaked, red-capped and often rosy-breasted finches with long and dis- 

 tinctly emarginate tail and small acute bill." Two species and two or 

 more subspecies probably occur in the state, but only one is ever abundant. 

 The adults always have a bright garnet crown (whence the name Redpoll), 

 a blackish spot on chin and upper throat, and the males usually are more 

 or less rosy on breast and rump as well. 



Redpolls nest only in the far north and are seen within our limits only 

 in winter. From the fact that they are very irregular in their appearance, 

 sometimes coming in flocks of thousands and other winters not appearing 

 at all, they are commonly believed to be driven south by the cold, their 

 numbers here indicating the severity of the winter farther north. More 

 likely, however, their movements depend on abundance or shortage of food 

 supply, although other factors may enter into the problem. All the species 

 and subspecies are so much alike that they can be separated only by the 

 expert. 



The present species, the Greenland Redpoll, is the largest and lightest 

 colored of all and is restricted in the nesting season to Greenland, Iceland, 

 Spitzbergen, and eastei-n Arctic America, wandering southward in winter 

 to the northern boundary of the United States. There is a single specimen 

 in the museum of the Sault Ste. Marie High School, taken in that vicinity 

 March 29, 1900, and identified by the Division of Biological Survey at 

 Washington (Letter from W. P. Melville). Wo find no other recorcl for 

 the state. 



TECHNICAL DESCIIIPTIO.V. 



"Adults with top of head bright red and a dusky spot covering chin ;uid uj^iior part of 

 throat. Wing exceeding tail by less tlian lengfli of tarsus; rum]) i)l:iiM white or pinkisli; 



