New American species of Fringilla. 221 



intermediate between the jF. coccothraustes of Europe and the 

 F. cardinalis. To the former of these, which is the type of 

 the subgenus, it is nearly allied, but is considerably larger, 

 besides other differences, as the description given will show. 



The specimen from which this description is taken, was 

 sent to the Lyceum from Sault Ste. Marie, near Lake Supe- 

 rior, by Mr. H. R. Schoolcraft, and is labelled Paushkundamo, 

 the name given it by the Chippewa Indians. Mr. Schoolcraft 

 has since favoured me with the following account. It is a 

 little singular that the meaning of the Chippewa name should 

 so nearly coincide with that of the subgenus in the language of 

 the system. 



" Paushkundamo." This word is derived from the Chip- 

 pewa verb paushka-un, to break. The termination indicates 

 the object acted on, and is in accordance with one of the rules 

 of their language, which permits the formation of compound 

 words from a verb and substantive, dropping one or more 

 syllables of each for the sake of euphony. The word paush- 

 Icaun is the animate form of the verb, and is used only in par- 

 ticular reference to soft, fleshy, or vegetable substances, as a 

 fly, a berry, &tc. The word will therefore admit of being 

 rendered fly-breaker, berry-breaker, he. 



" This bird appeared about Sault Ste. Marie, M. T. 

 during the first week in April 1823. The individual under 

 examination was shot on the 7th April, in the evening. An 

 Indian boy was attracted into the woods by its peculiar, and 

 to him strange note. There were a few birds in company : 

 they were seen for a short time about the place ; but none 

 have since appeared. The species is said to be common about 

 the head of Lake Superior, at Fond du Lac, &c." 



Major Delafield, in the execution of his duties as agent of 

 the United States for boundaries, met with the same bird in 

 the month of August 1823, near the Savannah river, north- 



