224 FRINGILLID^ : FINCHES. 



AMERICAN MEALY RED-POLL. 



^GIOTHUS EXILIPES CouCS. 



Chars. Similar to the common Red-poll. Colors paler, white re- 

 placing the flaxen of linaria, and often predominating over the 

 dark streaking ; rump white or rosy-white, entirely unmarked ; 

 breast pale rosy; streaks on the sides slight and sparse; bill very 

 small, heavily ruffed at base of upper mandible ; feet remarkably 

 small, the middle toe and claw together hardly as long as the tar- 

 sus. General dimensions those of linaria. 



The true "Mealy Red-poll," ^giothus caiicscens, is 

 given by Dr. Brewer in his List of 1875 as a bird of 

 New England ; but it has never been known to occur 

 there, nor indeed anywhere in North America, the 

 present species being doubtless the bird he had in 

 view. The American Mealy Red-poll, which rep- 

 resents in continental America the bird of Greenland, 

 is even a more boreal species than y^. liiiarta, appar- 

 ently of rare and exceptional occurrence in New Eng- 

 land. It has however been occasionally seen there 

 in winter, as reported by various writers since the days 

 of Audubon. Whatever be its true status, as com- 

 pared with other hyperborean races of Red-polls, it is 

 easily distinguished from linaria by the pure rosy- 

 white, unstreaked rump, and other characteristics given 

 in the above description. It is perhaps less rare and 

 exceptional in New England than appears to be the 

 case — not one Red-poll in a thousand of those visiting 

 us in winter is shot and examined, and the general sim- 

 ilarity of the two kinds render the rarer one very liable 

 to be overlooked. It was only allowed by Dr. Brewer 

 to be found in eastern Maine (Pr. Bost. Soc, Xvii, 



