^; THE FINCHES. 229 



Curvirostra leucoptera WILS. Am. Orn. iv,1811, 48, pL 31, fig. 3. BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 



427; Cat N. Am. B, 1859. No. 319. CouES.Key, 1872. 129. 

 Loxia atrata von HOMETEE, J. f. 0. 1879. 179. 



HAB. Northern North America, breeding from northern New England and northern 

 Bxxjky Mountain districts northward. (Said by:AuD0BON to breed in mountainous por- 

 tions of Pennsylvania.) In winter, south to or beyond 39, in some seasons. No Pacific 

 coast record south of Alaska; accidental in Greenland and in Europe. 



SP. CHAR. Bill greatly compressed, and acute towards the point Male carmine-red, 

 tinged with dusky across the back; the sides of the body under the wings streaked with 

 brown; from the middle of belly to the tail-coverts whitish, the latter streaked with 

 brown. Scapulars, wings, and tail black; two broad bands on the wings across the ends 

 of greater and median coverts; white spots on the end of the inner tertiaries. Female 

 brownish, tinged with olive-green in places; feathers of the back and crown with dusky 

 centres; rump brownish yellow. Length about 6.25; wing, 3.50; tail, 2.60. 



The white bands on the wings distinguish this species from the 

 preceding, although there are some other differences in form of bill, 

 feet, wing, etc. There is less variation in form and color among 

 specimens than in the preceding. The American White-winged 

 Crossbill differs from its European analogue, L. bifasciata, in the 

 more slender body and bill, and in having the body pomegranate- 

 red, with blackish back, instead of cinnabar-red, as in curvirostra 

 and minor. Bonaparte and Schlegel quote the American species 

 as occurring in the Himalaya Mountains, and perhaps Japan, but 

 throw doubts on the supposed European localities. 



In the Journal fur Ornithologie for 1879, p. 179, von Homey er 

 describes as a new species ("Loxia atrata") what appears to be a 

 variation of L. leucoptera; but the circumstance that the supposed 

 species is based on two specimens "exactly alike" suggests the pos- 

 sibility of the form in question proving eventually to be perhaps a 

 local race of L. leucoptera. A free translation of the original descrip- 

 tion, in German, is as follows : 



"Somewhat smaller than L. leucoptera, but with about the same 

 length of wing, the tail at least 10 mm. shorter. Distinguished by 

 its coloration. The red in ground tone is nearest that of the 

 'Hakengimpel' [Pinicola enudeator], but everywhere darker, and 

 saturated, as it were, with black, this color extending indefinitely 

 both on the back as well as on the middle of the belly to the breast, 

 as also on the lower tail-coverts. The feet are even darker colored 

 than in leucoptera. The wing-bands are unaffected for the most 

 part, although not quite so broad. This is especially seen in the 

 first or terminal band, which begins, scarcely visible, at the edge of 



