WHITE- WINGED CROSSBILLS. 37 



LOXIA BIFASCIATA AND LOXIA LEUCOPTERA. 



EUROPEAN WHITE- WINGED CROSSBILL and AMERICAN 

 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 



(PLATE 19.) 



The two White- winged Crossbills are so nearly allied that many ornitho- 

 logists have considered them to be specifically identical. The points relied 

 upon to distinguish them are as follows : The birds of the Old World are 

 said to be larger and to have a stouter bill. This is, on an average, un- 

 doubtedly the case. European examples vary in length of wing from 3*8 

 to 3*4, whilst those from America only measure 3'5 to 3*2 inches. The 

 average height of the bill in European examples is -4 and that of American 

 examples *3 inch. The scapulars and the middle of the back of European 

 examples are dark red with brown centres in the adult male, whilst the 

 same feathers are nearly uniform very dark brown in American examples. 

 European examples are said to have the tail less forked than in American 

 birds ; but I cannot find the slightest difference in this respect. Our birds 

 are also said to have more distinct white edges to the tail-feathers ; but, so 

 far as my observations go, I find that newly moulted birds from both 

 localities have equally white edges, which disappear in both forms before 

 the next autumn. It is also stated that the red of the adult male inclines 

 to scarlet in the European bird and to crimson in the American ; but this 

 appears to be an unreliable character, the former being probably younger 

 or less vigorous birds. It is not known that there is any difference 

 whatever in the notes or habits of the two forms, and it will perhaps be 

 best to treat them as local races of a common species. The synonymy 

 of the two races is as follows : 



LOXIA BIFASCIATA. 



EUROPEAN WHITE-WINGED CBOSSBILL. 



Crucirostra bifasciata Brehm, Isis, 1827, p. 714; et auctorum plurimorum 



Bonaparte, Degland 8f Gerbe, Taczanoivsky, Newton, Dresser, &c. 

 Crucirostra tsenioptera (Gloger}, Brehm, Isis, 1827, p. 716. 

 Loxia taenioptera, Gloger, Isis, 1827, p. 419. 



Loxia bifasciata (Brehm), Selys-Longch. Faun. Beige, p. 76 (1842). 

 Loxia leucoptera, Gmel. apud Middendorff, Schrenck, Radde, &c. 



LOXIA LEUCOPTERA. 

 AMERICAN WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 



Loxia leucoptera, Gmel. Sysf. Nat. i. p. 844 (1788) ; et auctorum plurimorum 

 Temminck, Audubon, Bonaparte fy Schlegel, ( Wilson), (Baird), Gould, Newton, &c. 



