ANDERSON — THE BIRDS OK IOWA. 311 



Genus Leucosticte Swainson. 



229. (524). Leucosticte tephrocotis Swainson. Gray-crowned Leu- 



costicte. 

 "Breeding on higher mountains from Rocky Mts. of Briti.sh 

 America to Mt. Whitney, CaHf.; migrating in winter through 

 Rocky Mt. district of U. S. to Colorado; east, occasionally to 

 western Iowa" (Ridgway). "Once recorded from Omaha by L. 

 Skow, who knew it in the western part of the state" (Rev. Birds 

 Neb., p. 84). The only definite Iowa record I have found is that 

 of D. H. Talbot, at Sioux City, who states that in February, 1883, 

 (an extremely cold month) several specimens were captured by 

 boys in the western part of the citj-. A specimen kept alive had 

 lost all rosy color after moulting — August 22 ("The Gray-crowned 

 Finch in Confinement," Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, viii, 4, 1883, pp. 

 240-42). 



Genus Acanthis Bechstein. 



230. (528). AcantJiis linaria {\a\\\\.). Redpoll. 



The Common Redpoll or Redpoll Linnet is a somewhat irregu- 

 lar but abundant winter visitor. Some winters flocks of hun- 

 dreds are seen, and during other seasons they will be rare. In 

 southern Iowa the species is rarely seen, but in northern Iowa 

 the}' appear nearly every winter, often visiting towns. Its prin- 

 cipal food is the seed of ragweeds and various large weeds which 

 project through the snow. Flocks alight upon these in large 

 numbers, picking ofT the seeds which cling to the stalks as well 

 as those which fall upon the snow. It frequently happens that 

 only two or three rosy-pink males are found in a flock of two or 

 three hundred specimens. The Redpolls are generally found 

 from December until March, but Dr. C. C. Smith has noted them 

 as early as Dec. 3 and as late as April 5 in Winneshiek county. 



231. (528b). Acant/iis linaria rostrafa {Con^s). Greater Redpoll. 

 " A northern species, rarely seen in the U. S. The only in- 

 stance of its capture within the Mississippi Valley is the record 

 of a specimen taken Nov. 2, 1878, at Chicago, 111., by Mr. H. K. 

 Coale" (Cooke, Bird Migr. in Miss. Val., 1884-85, p. 182). 



"Mr. J. H. Brown, Iowa City, Iowa, writes: "I shot three 

 Greater Redpolls on Jan. i r, and one the 13th inst. They were 

 undoubtedly of the variety Aca?ithis linmia rostrata Coues. I 



