52 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



putting it into a pocket-box, before I had opportunity of 

 examining it, it had quite defaced its wings, by fluttering 

 about. 



F. The appearance of a living moth at this season is 

 indeed worthy of note. Ah ! there is a flock of those 

 beautiful birds, the Pine Grosbeaks (Loxia Enudeator). 

 They are by far the most splendid of our winter birds ; 

 observe how rich the crimson of the males : the females, 

 as in most instances where the males are red, are of a yel- 

 lowish-olive colour. They delight in the horrors of winter, 

 for even in the desolate region around Hudson's Bay, they 

 are only transient spring visitors, passing on still farther to 

 the north. I have seen the species in Newfoundland, but 

 I believe that there, as here, it is rare. 



C. Among some of the common little crossbills that 

 were hopping about the house yesterday, I noticed one that 

 differed from them, by having two bands of white across the 

 wing. Was it a distinct species ? 



F. Yes : it is called the White- winged Crossbill (Cur- 

 mrostra Leucoptera). This is another of our rare birds ; so 

 much so, that the indefatigable Wilson, in his researches over 

 this continent, appears never to have met with more than 

 one specimen. Bonaparte says it is common round Hud- 

 son's Bay, and on the borders of Lake Ontario. I observed 

 a pair last spring, as late as the 29th of April, in a flock of 

 the common species, which I closely and particularly ex- 

 amined. They were fearless, and allowed me to stand 

 within ten feet of them, for some time. I observed in the 

 male, a black mark proceeding from the back of the eye, 

 curving outward, and ending about half an inch below the 

 eye, which Wilson has not noticed: the tips of the quill fea- 

 thers appeared to be edged with white, forming as the wings 

 met across the rump, three or four short white bands. The 

 female had the white bars on the wing narrower than the 



