124 KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



NOTES ON LOXIA CURVIROSTRA STRICKLANDI Ridgw. 



By D. E. LANTZ, Manhattan, Kan. 



The Mexican race of red crossbills -nas first identified in Kansas by Prof. 

 L. L. Dyclie, wlio observed them at Lawrence, November 1, 1885, and secured 

 specimens November 5. In the same year they were taken at Manhattan 

 by the writer, November 21, and at Emporia by Prof. V. L. Kellogg, Decem- 

 ber 23. 



Pi'evious to 1885, I had seen but a single fiock of crossbills in this state. 

 This was in November, 1880, and I did not secure any specimens. Naturally, 

 I referred the birds to variety americana, as this was included in the cata- 

 logues of both Professor Snow and Colonel Goss. There is now the probabil- 

 ity that this flock was of the Mexican variety, since this has proved to be the 

 common bird in our state. 



Since 1885, the Mexican red crossbill has been observed at Manhattan as 

 an irregular winter sojourner, as the following record will show: 



In 1886, they were seen January 6, October 29, November 20. 



In 1887, January 21 and 25. 



In 1888, January 8, February 18, November 7, 8, 24, 28, December 8, 16, 24. 



In 1889, January 21, 24, 30, February and March daily, April 7, 11, 15, 25. 

 Always in large flocks. 



In 1890 no crossbills were seen. 



In 1891 seen only on December 26. 



In 1892, March 24, 28, April 4, 23; the flock seen on the latter date con- 

 sisted of about 20, all females. 



In 1893, on February 15, saw a flock of five flying. No others seen during 

 the year. 



In 1894, first seen November 14, on the college grounds. Several were 

 taken by Mr. G. B. Norris, Novetnber 17. Have been seen in small flocks 

 several times since. 



The specimens secured at Manhattan present great variations in size, es- 

 pecially in the measurements of the bill, yet there can be no doubt as to 

 their jdentity. In 1883, Mr. Robert Ridgway published a Review of the 

 American Red Crossbills (Proc. Biolog. Soc. of Wash., vol. II, 1883, pp. 84-107), 

 in which he proposed to separate them into three races: Loxia curvirostra 

 americana (Wils.), Loxia curvirostra mexicana Strickl,, and Loxia curvirostra 

 bendirei Ridgw. This last he described as a new variety, larger than ameri- 

 cana and smaller than mexicana, between which it was considered intermedi- 

 ate. He gave its habitat as chiefly in the western mountain regions of the 

 United States; spreading eastward in winter even to Massachusetts and 

 Maryland. Had this race been adopted by the A. O. U. committee on classi- 

 fication and nomenclature, the Kansas birds would have been referred to the 

 variety bendirei. But the committee rejected the new race and adopted the 

 two varieties minor (equivalent to Americana) and Stricklandi (equivalent to 

 Mexicana), uniting under the latter race the western and Mexican forms, and 

 nr.ming it in honor of Strickland, who first described it in 1851, the type 

 specimens being obtained from near the City of Mexico. 



A contrast of the habits of the two races of American red crossbills 



