40 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



small end rather obtuse. It measures '8 inch in length by '56 in breadth." 

 A nest of the European species, obtained through Mr. Craemers at 

 Archangel, is described by Dresser as closely resembling that of the 

 Common Crossbill, but smaller and somewhat slighter in structure. He 

 also remarks that the eggs are rather darker in ground-colour than those of 

 that species, and are smaller in size, but otherwise closely resemble them. 

 The White-winged Crossbill is specifically distinct from the Common 

 Crossbill, though its only difference appears to consist in having the 

 greater and median wing-coverts broadly tipped with white. The difference 

 between the sexes is alike in both species, and the males of both appear to 

 change colour with age in exactly the same way. 



