FRINGlLLINili. 



THE MEALY REDPOLL. 



LiNOTA LiNARiA (Linnteus). 



The logical separation of the various species or races of Redpolls 

 is one which presents unusual difficulties. Dr. R. B. Sharpe 

 considers (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xii. pp. 245-257) the typical Mealy 

 Redpoll, Linota linaria, as a main stem, if I may use the term, with 

 three subspecies, viz. : L. holboelli, rather larger and with a very 

 much longer bill, found " in Northern Europe from Scandinavia tg 

 Eastern Siberia,'"' and, as a wanderer, twice in Norfolk ; Z. rostrata, 

 " only distinguishable by the coarser striping of the under parts and 

 by the stouter and more obtuse bill," inhabiting Greenland and 

 North-eastern America ; and our smaller and ruddier Lesser Redpoll, 

 L. riifescens, of which more hereafter. L. exilipes, with greyer rump, 

 Dr. Sharpe considers to be a good species, with a range extending 

 from Northern Scandinavia across Siberia and throughout Northern 

 America ; while he puts down as a subspecies of L. exilipes the 

 rather larger Z. /ionie»ian?ii, of Eastern North America, Greenland, 

 Iceland, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen, one example of which was 

 recorded by Hancock, under the name of Z. canescens, as having 

 been obtained near Whitburn, Durham, on April 24th 1855, and 

 another by Mr. Cordeaux from the Humber district (Zool. 1895, 

 p. 58). The whole question is incrusted by a voluminous literature, 

 in which hardly two authors agree as regards specific value ; but, 



