584 NOTES ON SOME OF THE 



the year ; at other times Very few are seen for a considerable 

 period. Concerning this species I have received from Mr. 

 Maynard the following very interesting note. He says that 

 in 1868 these birds appeared in Massachusetts "early in Sep- 

 tember, in very immature plumage, which seemed to indi- 

 cate," he thought, "that they were raised in the states. But 

 upon visiting Oxford county, Maine," he continues, "Octo- 

 ber 12th, and not seeing a single specimen of this bird (al- 

 though after the 21st the White-winged species was common) 

 I was induced to inquire of the farmers respecting them, 

 when I was informed that they passed through that region 

 early in August, in large numbers, doing great damage to 

 the oat crop. This shows that the unusual occurrence of this 

 bird in immature plumage early in the season was owing 

 to the early migration of northern raised birds, induced, 

 probably, by an insufficient supply of food, which I think 

 regulates the migrations of all northern birds ; hence the ir- 

 regularity of their visits. The species in question passed 

 entirely south of Newton (Mass.), as upon my return from 

 Maine, November 13th, not a specimen could be found, but 

 C. leucoptera was abundant. From what I have seen of 

 these two species I think the latter is generally much more 

 boreal in its habits."* 



Specimens of the Keel Crossbill have been received at the 

 Museum of Comparative Zoology from Massachusetts so 

 young that it seems highly probable that they were raised 

 here. Among them are specimens collected in Western, in 

 May, 1862, by the late Mr. Horace Mann. Some were so 

 young that their bills were not fully grown, while the plu- 

 mage also indicated great immaturity. It is hardly possible 

 that they could have been born far from where they were 

 collected. The condition of the specimens collected by Mr. 

 Maynard, allude*d to above, seems to indicate that they also 

 have- not been long from the nest, though they may, as he 

 supposes, have come from Maine. These facts seem to 



* MSS. Notes, received in July, 186'J. 



