WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 347 



to Northern Asia, but North America may be 

 yet considered as its true country, and though 

 comparatively scarce there, it is met with in 

 greater numbers than elsewhere. Buonaparte 

 considers it as inhabiting the northern and 

 central parts, being in most districts migratory, 

 frequenting chiefly the " pine swamps and forests, 

 often feeding to excess on the seeds of pinus 

 inops. The nest is built on the limb of a pine 

 near the centre, and is composed of grasses and 

 earth, lined interiorly with feathers."* Their 

 manners are described as similar to those of the 

 Common Crossbill, equally regardless of danger, 

 and in snow allowing themselves even to be 

 caught by the hand. We do not at present 

 possess a specimen of this bird, but the adult 

 male is described as rich crimson red, tinted with 

 brown on the forehead, and having the base of 

 the feathers dark gray, which sometimes gives a 

 mottled appearance to the plumage. The wings 

 and tail are black, the former with two conspi- 

 cuous white bars, one across the shoulders, the 

 others formed by the white tips to the wing 

 coverts. The vent and under tail coverts white. 

 The female is described of an olive green, paler 

 beneath, and tinted brightly on the rump and 

 breast with lemon yellow ; the bars on the wings 

 indicated indistinctly. 



* Buonaparte continuation of "Wilson. 



