26 FRINGILLIM. 



The female does not at any time differ greatly from the 

 young male of the year, before assuming his second suit. 

 The upper parts are greenish ash with patches of brown ; 

 throat and neck grey, clouded with yellowish brown ; the 

 rest of the under surface ash colour, varied with yellowish 

 green ; rump yellow ; vent and under tail-coverts greyish 

 white, the base of each feather greyish brown. 



M. Nilsson has figured a bright red male, and a female 

 in plumage, as last described, in illustration of this species, 

 in his Scandinavian Fauna. 



The whole length of a male in red plumage is seven 

 inches and five-eighths. Extent of wings, twelve inches. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the longest quill -feather, 

 not quite four inches : the wing in its form and relative 

 length of the quill-feathers resembles that of the Common 

 Crossbill : the first quill-feather is the longest ; the second 

 quill-feather a very little shorter than the first ; the third 

 a little shorter than the second, and the fourth feather one 

 quarter of an inch shorter than the third. 



Mr. Macgillivray, in his work, gives the measurements 

 of a larger example of this species, probably from the spe- 

 cimen in the Edinburgh Museum : " Length to the end 

 of the tail, eight inches ; wing from flexure, four inches 

 three-twelfths." 



The vignette below represents the breast-bone of the 

 Parrot Crossbill and that of the Common Crossbill. 



