LOXIA CURVIROSTBA POLIOGYNA 225 



Entire upper parts brownish-grey, with darker striations, and slightly 

 washed on the rump with a faint greenish tinge ; entire underparts light 

 brownish-grey, paler on the throat and centre of the abdomen ; under 

 tail-coverts fringed with white. 



Soft parts as in male, measurements slightly less. 



The young are spotted as in L. curvirostra, but much greyer. 



Observations. — In some individuals the upper mandible curves over the 

 right side of the lower mandible, in others over the left side. 



As stated in my original description of this bird (Ibis, 1898, 

 p. 625), the Tunisian Crossbill differs from typical L. curvirostra, 

 Linn., in being paler and greyer in colom', especially in the adult 

 female, which is almost entirely grey, and not green, or greenish, 

 like the female of the Common Crossbill. This is a perfectly constant 

 character, as shown by the large series of specimens in my collection, 

 all exactly alike, and is, I think, sufficient to justify subspecific 

 separation. Adult male birds, owing to the large proportion of red 

 colouring in their plumage, naturally show this difference less than 

 the females do, but immature males, as well as young birds in the 

 spotted stage of plumage, show it distinctly. The bill of the Tunisian 

 Crossbill is like that of L. curvirostra, and its measurements do not 

 differ appreciably from those of its European congener. This sub- 

 species affords a good instance of a geographical race, and illustrates 

 the tendency of all species to become paler in Tunisia. 



When I first met with the Tunisian Crossbill I thought it might 

 be referable to von Homeyer's L. c. balearica from the Balearic Isles 

 (J.f. 0. 1862, p. 256), but this does not seem to be the case, and the 

 bird from the Balearic Isles is now regarded by good authorities 

 as identical with the ordinary L. curvirostra. Certainly the only 

 specimens I have seen from those islands are indistinguishable from 

 examples of the common European bird, and both Mr. Saunders and 

 Mr. Dresser, who have carefully examined specimens from Majorca, 

 agree in referring them to true L. curvirostra. 



In Spain and Portugal, as also throughout the Western Mediter- 

 ranean generally, the Common Crossbill occurs more or less irregu- 

 larly. In Sicily the species appears from time to time as an irregular 

 migrant, generally in autumn, but it has also been known to occur 

 there in the middle of summer. The Sicilians say the Crossbill only 

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