420 HISTORY OF THE 



irregular circle, and encloses the principal spots. In the other 

 egg, which is the largest, this line is not quite complete and the 

 primary blotches are wanting, but the secondary markings are 

 correspondingly larger and more numerous. In another egg 

 there are two perfect figures of 3 formed on the sides by the 

 secondary marks, one of them large and singularly symmetrical. 

 The eggs measure respectively: .74x.56, .75x.58, .78x.59." 



Loxia curvirostra Strickland! RIDGW. 



MEXICAN CROSSBILL. 

 PLATE XXVI. 



"Winter sojourner; not uncommon in the parks, etc., where 

 the transplanted evergreen trees are growing. Prof. L. L. 

 Dyche, curator of birds and mammals at the State University, 

 was the first to report the discovery of the birds in the State 

 at Lawrence, November 13th, 1885. They have since been 

 met with in the same vicinity, at Emporia, Baldwin and Man- 

 hattan, wintering on the Agricultural College grounds at the lat- 

 ter place. Prof. E. A. Popenoe reports seeing a male at "Wallace 

 in the month of July. 



B. 318a. E. 172a, C. 200. G. , 205. U. 521a. 



HABITAT. Southwestern United States, from eastern Kan- 

 sas, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, south through the 

 highlands of Mexico. 



SP. CHAB. "Colors of L. curvirostra minor, but red brighter, more scarlet. 

 Bill very large, the lower mandible nearly or quite equal to the upper in strength 

 and length." 



Stretch of 

 Length. iving. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 6.75 11.75 8.75 2.55 .70 .78 



Female... 6.50 10.25 8.50 2.40 .65 .76 



Iris dark brown; bill dusky; legs and feet dark brown; claws 

 blackish. 



The birds are similar in their habits and actions to the Ameri- 

 can. I have never seen their nests or eggs, nor a description 

 of the same, but feel safe in, presuming that they are not notice- 

 ably different. 



The last of June, 1885, while in the Glorieta Mountains, of 

 New Mexico, I met with several small flocks, composed of young 



