WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 691 



The bill is dusky ; the iris brown ; the feet deep reddish- 

 brown. The general colour of the plumage is bright crimson ; 

 but the feathers on the fore part and middle of the back are 

 blackish-brown unless on the edges ; and the scapulars, wing- 

 coverts, quills, upper tail-coverts, and tail, are black. The 

 first row of small wing-coverts, and the terminal half of the 

 secondary wing-coverts, are white, forming two conspicuous 

 bands ; the quills are slightly margined and the inner secon- 

 daries tipped with white ; the tail-feathers are similarly edged, 

 and their coverts tipped with the same. The feathers at the 

 base of the bill are yellowish-white ; the sides of the body are 

 tinged with brown, and streaked with dusky ; the axillar fea- 

 thers whitish ; and the lower tail-coverts brownish-black, mar- 

 gined with pale red. 



Length to end of tail 6jg inches ; extent of wings 10^ ; bill 

 along the ridge ^"1, along the edge of lower mandible {'^ ; wing 

 from flexure 3^ ; tail 2^ ; tarsus ^% ; hind toe ^^|, its claw -^tj, ; 

 second toe y|, its claw l\ ; third toe ^^j, its claw -^o, ; outer 

 toe y|, its claw ^-^. 



Female. — In the female the feathers of the upper parts are 

 blackish-brown, margined with greyish-yellow ; the rump wax- 

 yellow ; the lower parts yellowish-grey, longitudinally streaked 

 with dusky, the fore part of the breast wax-yellow ; the wings 

 and tail as in the male, but with the white markings less ex- 

 tended. 



Length to end of tail 6/^ inches ; extent of wings 10. 



Habits. — Dr Richardson states that in North America this 

 species " inhabits the dense white spruce forests of the fur coun- 

 tries, feeding principally on the seeds of cones. It ranges 

 through the whole breadth of the continent, and probably up 

 to the sixty-eighth parallel, where the woods terminate, though 

 it was not observed by us higher than the sixty-second. It is 

 mostly seen on the upper branches of the trees, and, when 

 wounded, clings so fast, that it will remain suspended after 

 death. In September it collects in small flocks, which fly 

 from tree to tree, making a chattering noise ; and in the depth 



