FEMALE WIIITE-AVINGED CROSSBILL. 275 



shorter, and much longer than the succeeding ; the general color of the 

 wing is black, the smaller coverts each margined with olive; the middle 

 a.nd longer coverts broadly tipped with white, forming a double band 

 across the wings, so conspicuous as to afford the most obvious dis- 

 tinguishing character of the species ; all the quills are sliglitlj edged 

 with paler, the tertials being also tipped with white ; the under wing- 

 coverts are of a dark silvery, as well as the whole inferior surface of 

 the wing ; the tail measures two and a half inches, being as usual com- 

 posed of twelve feathers ; it is black, and deeply emarginatc, the 

 feathers acute, and slightly edged with paler : the feet are short, 

 rather robust, and blackish, the tarsus five-eighths of an inch in length, 

 somewhat sharp behind, with its covering entire before ; the toes are 

 divided to the base, very short, the middle one considerably the 

 longest, but much less than half an inch long, the lateral one subequal 

 (all these being remarkable characters of the genus), the hind toe long, 

 and stoutest ; the nails strong, much curved, and sharp, the hind one 

 the longest, and twice as large as the lateral. 



The male described by Latham, Wilson and Vieillot as in full plumage, 

 but which, with Temminck, we have good reasons for believing to be 

 between one and two years old, differs from the female in being a 

 trifle larger, and of a crimson red where she is olive gray : the base of 

 the plumage is also considerably darker, approaching to black on 

 the head, which color predominates in several parts of the plumage, 

 round the eye, on the front, in the broad line curving and widening 

 from the eye each side of the neck, and appearing distinctly on the 

 back, where it generally forms a kind of band descending from the base 

 of the wing : the rump is of a beautiful rose-red ; the black of the 

 wings and tail is deeper ; the white pure, and more extended ; the 

 lining of the quills, and especially of the tail-feathers, more conspicuous ; 

 the belly is of a pure whitish, much less streaked, &c. 



The bird which from analogy we take for the adult male, though we 

 have no positive evidence for deciding wliether it is in the passage to, 

 or from, the preceding, differs only in having a light buff orange tinge 

 where the other has crimson : it agrees with it in all its minute markings, 

 the patch on the sides of the head is better defined, and the wings and 

 tail are of a still deeper black, the edges of the quills and tail-feathers 

 being very conspicuous, and almost pure white. All these facts con- 

 spire to favor our opinion. In this state the bird is rare, as might be 

 expected, and has not before been noticed by any naturalist : we have 

 not represented it, only that we might not multiply figures of the samo 

 species. 



The very young male before assuming the red, at the age of one 

 year, exactly resembles the female ; being only more grayish, and les3 



