CROSSBILL. INSESSORES. LOXIA. 333 



sia, and other parts of Germany, during the winter months, 

 and breeds at that season. The eggs are stated to be four or Eggs, 

 five in number, of an ash-grey colour, marked at the greater 

 end with large irregular spots of blood-red, and over the rest 

 of the surface with minute specks of the same. 



The species appears to be the same in North America. 



PLATE 53 **. Fig. 1. Natural size, 



Bill very strong, five-eighths of an inch deep, shorter than General 

 the middle toe, much hooked, and the crossing point of ticru^ 

 the lower mandible not reaching so high as the ridge of 

 the upper one ; but in the Common Crossbill it comes 

 beyond that part. Head large. Body thick, and con- 

 siderably exceeding in size that of the common species. 

 The whole of the upper and under parts of the body 

 has an intermixture of tile-red, sulphur and wax yellows, 

 and greys. Wings deep hair-brown. Greater coverts 

 and quills tinged and margined with wine-yellow. Tail 

 the same a? the wings. Legs and toes yellowish. brown. 

 Claws black. 



This appears to be a young male, as it answers to TEM_ 

 MINCERS description of the bird at a year old. Accord- 

 ing to that author, the plumage of the old male is prin- 

 cipally of an oil-green colour, tinged with grey. The 

 throat and sides of the neck bluish-grey. Rump sul- 

 phur-yellow, inclining to lemon-yellow. Breast and 

 belly the same, but mixed with grey. Flanks with 

 streaks of blackish-grey. 



GENUS PYRRHULA, BRISS. BULLFINCH. 



GENERIC CHARACTERS. 



BILL very thick at the base, short, the sides inflated ; both 

 mandibles convex, particularly the upper one, the tip of 

 which overhangs the point of the lower. Culmen rather 



