92 BIRDS OF MAINE. 



tor 7 ' (Spinney) ; Somerset, "irregular winter visitant" (Morrell) ; Waldo, 

 "seen in May" (Knight) ; Washington, "uncertain, some winters abun- 

 dant, breeds in winter" (Boardman) ; York, "migrant" (Adams). 



218. (522). Loxia leuooptera Gmel. White-winged Cross- 

 bill. 



A resident species of much rarer occurrence than the preceding 

 and more liable to occur in winter. It seemingly nests exclusively 

 in winter, as it has not been reported breeding in summer like the 

 American Crossbill. Much still remains unknown regarding the 

 life histories of our Crossbills. The two species often occur in the 

 same flock though leucoptera always occurs least abundantly. Said 

 to be common all the year, about the lumber camps with the pre- 

 ceding. 



County Records. Androscoggin, "rare winter visitor" (Johnson) ; 

 Cumberland, "rare winter migrant" (Mead) ; Franklin, "common winter 

 resident" (Richards) ; Kennebec, "very rare resident" (Powers) ; Knox, 

 (Rackliff) ; Oxford, "breeds rarely" (Nash) ; Penobscot, "usually very 

 rare but often sporadically common, has been taken in late April' 

 (Knight) ; Piscataquis, "winter visitor, some winters common" (Homer) ; 

 Sagadahoc, "not common" (Spinney) ; Washington, uncertain, some 

 winters common, breeds in winter" (Boardman). 



Genus ACANTHIS Bechstein. 



219. (527a). Acanthis hornemannii exilipes (Coues). Hoary 

 Redpoll. 



Dr. Brewer referred this species to eastern Maine (Cf. Brewer, 

 Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. Vol. 17, 1875, p. 441), but no evi- 

 dence is there adduced to prove its occurrence. Verrill also men- 

 tions it in his list, but without citation of the grounds upon which 

 he admits it to the list. The first authentic record of this bird 

 having been taken in the state is given in the Proceedings of the 

 Portland Society of Natural History for April 1, 1897, by Mr. A. 

 H. Norton who writes : "A specimen of this rare bird was taken 

 at Westbrook, Maine, January 26, 1896. It was in a flock com- 

 posed chiefly of common Redpolls and Pine Siskins, with a few 

 Greater Redpolls intermingled. It is a female, apparently not fully 

 mature." While it is quite probable that the species in question is 



NOTE Amadina rubronigra, an African species of Finch, has once been taken 

 in Maine though it was beyond doubt an escaped cage bird. (Cf. Allen, Bull. 

 Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. 5, p. 120). Not knowing its proper place in the classification 

 I give it here. 



