208 



PASSERINE. LOXIA. 



and papillate at the base, compressed in the middle, horny 

 and concave above toward the end ; oesophagus rather wide, 

 and having a large crop ; proventriculus oblong ; stomach ra- 

 ther small, roundish, with strong muscles, and dense rugous 

 epithelium ; intestine shortish, rather wide, with very small 

 coeca. Nostrils basal, circular, concealed by the reversed 

 feathers. Eyes rather small. Aperture of ear large. Head 

 large, roundish ; neck short ; body compact. Legs short and 

 strong ; tarsus compressed, with six anterior scutella ; toes of 

 moderate strength ; claws large, arched, compressed, laterally 

 grooved, very acute. Plumage rather blended ; wings long, 

 with the outer three quills nearly equal ; tail short, emargi- 

 nate. 



The Crossbills are especially remarkable for the manner 

 in which the tips of their mandibles become bent and elon- 

 gated, so as to cross each other in a considerable degree. In 

 the young birds, previous to their leaving the nest, the bill 

 is of the usual form ; so that the characteristic peculiarity of 

 the genus results from the habit of applying the bill with a 

 lateral twist, in order to disengage the seeds of the cones of 

 firs and pines. They are inhabitants of the colder regions, 

 and migrate in large flocks. One species is not very un- 

 common in Britain, where some pairs have also been known 

 to breed. 



133. LOXIA PYTIOPSITTACUS. PARROT CROSSBILL. 



Length about eight inches^ wing from flexure four and a 

 third, bill seven-twelfths in height at the base, of about the 

 same length as the tarsus, extremely bulging, its outlines very 

 convex, the points short, that of the lower slightly ascending. 

 Male dull red above, brighter beneath, the rump yellowish- 

 red, the wings and tail dark olive-brown. Female greyish- 

 brown tinged with yellow above, the rump yellow, light yel- 

 lowish-grey beneath, the wings and tail as in the male. Young 

 males brownish-red, or yellowish-red, or wax yellow, or mot- 

 tled with yellow and red. 



Male, 8, . ., 4J, 1, ^, T 8 y , iV 



A specimen supposed to be British is in the museum of the 

 University of Edinburgh, and another has been described by 

 Mr Selby. It is not very certain that this species is not con- 

 stituted merely of very large individuals of the next. 



