FRINGILLID.E — Till-: FTNcriES. 



485 



In the intensity, as well as the shade (»f the red in the males, there is a 

 meat ran^e ol" variation, (lenfrailv it is ot" a tint almost lueeiselv like 

 tliftt of L. cin'rii'onti'd, thoiinh dee])er. The most highly eohtred speeinien 

 is r)4,7il.~», riiiladclifhia (rl. 11. Mellvaine;, which is entirely eontinuons deep 

 tile-red, approaching vermilion on the rnmp. The ahdomen and crissum 

 are light pinkish. In No. ol,4.V.), Fort llae, April, the red is of a curious 

 and very unusual jjurplish wine-red shade. 



The average of western s[)ecimens, ])arti(ularly those from the northwest 

 coast of the United States, have bills scarcely larger than in the average of 

 eastern examples; thus, 18,():)7, Fort Crook, X. Cal., has the bill of the same 

 size as No. 5,vS()3, Philadelphia, while Xo. 53,482, East Humboldt Mountains, 

 has the bill smaller than anv other in the collecticm. 



In color, therc are scarcely any tan^-ible differences between tlie European 

 Loxia c u r I' i rostra and the two American varieties, the distinctive character 

 being in the form of the bill and the size ; the C. mr.itrana is the largest of 

 the three, and the bill is (^uite peculiar in form, the lower mandible almost 

 equalling the upper in length, and exceeding it in thickness. L. vurfi rostra 

 is slightly smaller, and has the lower mandible much snudler and less power- 

 ful than the upper, being inferior to it both in length, breadth, and thickness. 

 The colors also a})pear to be rather less intense than in C. mcricana. 



The C. amrruaua is in every way, the bill especially, smaller than either 

 of the preceding. The lower mandible, although but slightly shorter than 

 the upper, is still nmcli weaker, as in the F^uro})ean bird. The majority of 

 western birds have the bill but slightly larger than eastern, and most of 

 those with large bills are only intermediate between ainericana and itudi- 

 cana. In some specimens the bill, although almost e(pialling in length 

 that of the latter, has yet the form of the former ; on the other hand, there 

 are specimens with the proportions of the mandibles as in mccuaiia, while 

 the size is intermediate. 



The following figures will illustrate the differences in the size of the bills 

 of the different races. 



Var. merimna. 

 29703 cf.M^'xito. 



Tar. cuni'rnstrn. 

 17010 cT, Europe 



V.tr. nnurirfina 

 18031) f , CiUiforoia. 



Var. amfrirnna. 

 &803 <S . Pliiliiilflphia. 



Specimens from the Columbia Kiver region and northwest coast of the 

 United States a]>pear to h ive the red more rosaceous and the bill more 

 slender than the typical style. One specimen (Xo. 31,459, Fort Kae) is alto- 

 gether a very peculiar one ; the shade of red is ditterent from that f>f any 

 other s])ecim(Mi, being a dark maroon-carmine, with a clear ash sutliisi(»ii on 

 the back. There are two distinct dusky stripes on tlie chi^ek, one over the 



