42 ON BIRDS FROM THE NETHERLANDS. 
Ampelis garrulus L. 
J received a male, that has been caught 2 November 
1910 on Texel. This is the only example, known to me 
to have been caught this winter in our country. 
Aegiothus linaria (L.). 
In the last of October and in November the mealy 
redpoll has been observed in large numbers in our country. 
I received about 80 specimens for the collection of the 
Museum and I had the opportunity to examine a good 
many other ones. They all belong to the form that breeds 
in the northern regions. A series of 71 examples, prepared 
for the collection, I submitted to an exact measurement 
of the length of the bill and of the wings. This exami- 
nation learns that the length of the wing, and more the 
length of the bill, are subject to great variation and that 
the length of bill and wing are lying between two extremes, 
that are connected by successive intermediate stages. The 
so-called long-billed redpoll, Aegiothus linaria holboellii 
(Brehm), cannot be considered as a subspecies, as the larger 
birds with long bills, which are known under this name, 
occur always among birds of the common size, at their 
breeding-places as well as on migration, and are connected 
with the latter by intermediate forms. The size of the 
sexes also varies considerably; however, the largest ones, 
measured by me are males, the smallest ones females. 
Among these 71 examples I found two specimens, both 
Oo; with a length of bill of 12 mm. and also two 
specimens, both QQ, with a length of bill of 7.5 mm; 
the other specimens have a length of bill, that is lying 
between these two extremes, and that I found in both, 
males and females. A length of 11.5 mm. I observed in 
two examples, further 11 mm. in two, 10.5 mm. in two, 
10 mm. in ten, 9.5 mm. in six, 9 mm. in twelve, 8.5 mm. 
in fourteen and 8 mm. in nineteen examples. 
The length of wing is also very variable; the longest 
Notes from the Leyden Museum, Vol. XXXIV. 
