AMERICAN WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 141 



In Scotland one, mentioned by Pennant, and one recorded 

 by Archibald Jerdon, Esq., which was shot near Bonjedward, 

 Roxburghshire, in February, 1841. 



These birds go in flocks of from twenty to fifty, taking 

 wing all at once together when alarmed, and after a little 

 manoauvring in the air, generally alighting again on the trees 

 from which they had moved. The young leave the nest in 

 June, and are soon able to join the parent birds in their 

 autumnal migration from the 'North countree' to some rather 

 more hospitable clime. 



The nest is said to be placed on the branches of pine 

 trees, and to be composed of grasses, cemented together with 

 earth, and lined with feathers. 



The eggs are described as white, marked with yellowish 

 spots. 



Male; length, about six inches. The bill is much com- 

 pressed laterally, and black in colour; a black line passes 

 through the eye. The head, which is sometimes speckled on 

 the sides with black, and is crossed on the forehead with a 

 line of that colour, is fine crimson, as are also the crown 

 and neck,, the base of each feather being dark grey. The 

 nape is crossed by a blackish band ; chin, throat, and breast 

 above, fine crimson, the latter on the middle part and below 

 is greyish brown. The back, also crimson, is crossed about 

 the middle by a blackish band. 



The wings have the first three quill feathers nearly equal 

 in length, the fourth shorter than the third, but much longer 

 than the fifth; greater and lesser wing coverts, broadly tipped 

 with white, forming two bands ; primaries, black, some of them 

 narrowly edged with white; secondaries and tertiaries, black, 

 some of the latter tipped with white. Tail, almost uniform 

 black ; upper tail coverts, dusky, bordered at the tip of each 

 feather with a narrow line of white. Legs and toes, brown. 



The female, at first like the young male^ has the head, 

 crown, neck on the back, and nape, greenish grey, the feathers 

 bordered with yellowish green. Chin , throat, and breast above , 

 greenish grey r streaked with blackish lines, and on the middle 

 whitish, with some yellow; back, greenish grey, on the lower 

 part pale yellow. The wings are barred with white as in the 

 male. 



In the young the bill is dark horn-colour towards the 

 point, the upper mandible very much compressed, the lower 

 one is rather lighter in colour; iris,, dark hazel; head, crown, 



