A NEW SUBSPECIES OF CROSSBILL FROM NEW- 

 FOUNDLAND 



By A. C. BENT 



While visiting Dr. Leonard C. Sanford's camp, on the Fox Island 

 River in Newfoundland, on June 10, 1912, I noticed two Crossbills, 

 which he had just collected, which were very evidently different 

 from any specimen of this species that I had ever seen from eastern 

 North America. I advised him to collect as many more as possible 

 for study and comparison. He succeeded in securing eleven spec- 

 imens in all which he has kindly lent me for description. After 

 comparing these birds with all the material available in the collec- 

 tions of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, 

 the United States National Museum and Department of Agriculture 

 Biological Survey in Washington, 1 have decided to describe and 

 name the new form, which so far as we know at present is confined, 

 in the breeding season at least, to Newfoundland. 



LOXIA CURVIROSTRA PERCNA, new subspecies 

 Newfoundland Crossbill 



Type. — Adult male. Cat. No. 233930, U. S. Nat. Mus., Flatbay 

 River, Newfoundland, July 21, 1912, Dr. L. C. Sanford. 



Subspecific characters. — Similar to Lo.via curvirostra minor 

 (Brehm) but considerably larger and with a much larger and 

 heavier bill ; slightly larger than Lo.via curvirostra bendirei, Ridg- 

 way; but somewhat smaller than Lo.via curvirostra stricklandi, 

 Ridgway. In general coloration darker than any of the American 

 subspecies of Loxia curvirostra; the reds deeper, richer and more 

 brilliant and the greenish yellow shades richer and brighter than in 

 similar plumages of the other forms. Whereas in the summer 

 plumages of other American forms we find only a few of the most 

 highly colored birds with reds equalling flame scarlet, and most of 

 them show only orange chrome or duller shades of red, with less 

 brilliant greens and yellows; we find in Lo.via curvirostra poena 

 scarlet, scarlet vermilion, vermilion, poppy red or even geranium 

 red of the most brilliant, glossy shades, with various brilliant shades 

 of greenish yellow. 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 60, No. 15 



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