PARROT CROSSBILL. 



37 



The upper parts are greenish ash with patches of brown ; 

 throat and neck grey, clouded with yellowish brown ; the rest 

 of the under surface ash colour, varied with yellowish green ; 

 rump yellow ; vent and under tail-coverts greyish white, the 

 base of each feather greyish brown. 



M. Nilsson has figured a bright red male, and a female in 

 plumage, as last described, in illustration of this species in 

 his Scandinavian Fauna. 



The whole length of a male in red plumage is seven 

 inches and five-eighths. Extent of wings twelve inches. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the longest quill-feather 

 not quite four inches : the wing in its form and relative 

 length of the quill- feathers, resembles that of the Common 

 Crossbill : the first quill-feather is the longest ; the second 

 quill-feather a very little shorter than the first ; the third a 

 little shorter than the second, and the fourth feather one 

 quarter of an inch shorter than the third. 



Mr. Macgillivray, in his work, gives the measurements of 

 a larger example of this species, probably from the specimen 

 in the Edinburgh Museum : — " Length to the end of the 

 tail, eight inches ; wing from flexure, four inches three- 

 twelfths." 



The vignette below represents the breast-bone of the 

 Parrot Crossbill and that of the Common Crossbill. 



