THE WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 



293 



CUEVIROSTEA LEUCOPTEEA.— IVihan. 



The White-winged Crossbill. 



Litcin leucoptera, Audubon, (.^rn. Biog., IV. (1838) 467. 

 Curvirostra leucoptera, Wilson. Am. Orn., IV. (1811) 48. 



Description. 



Bill greatly compressed, and acute towards the point ; male carmine- red, tingt I 

 with dusky across the back; the sides of body under the wings streaked vfith 

 brown; from the middle of belly to the tail coverts whitish, the latter streaked 

 with brown; scapulars, wings, and tail, black; the broad bands on the wings 

 across the ends of greater and median coverts ; white spots on the end of the inner 

 tertiaries. 



Female brownish, tinged with olive-gTeen in places; feathers of the back and 

 crown with dusky centres; rump bright brownish-yellow. 



Length, about six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, three and fifty 

 one-hundredths inches ; tail, two and sixty one-hundredths inches. 



This beautiful bird seems to 

 be much less frequent in its 

 winter visits to New England 

 than the preceding. It has all 

 the general characteristics of 

 that bird. In May, in the Hud- 

 son's Bay country, according 

 to Mr. Hutchins, it builds its 

 nest in a pine-tree. This is 

 constructed of grass, mud, and 

 feathers, and is lined with moss 

 and other soft materials. The 

 female lays five white eggs, 

 marked with yellowish spots. 



^GIOTHUS, Cabanis. 



jEgioth'us, Caisanis, Mus. Hein., 1851, 161. (Type Fringilla linaiia, Linn.) 

 Bill very short, conical, and acutely pointed, the outlines even concave; the 

 commissure straight; the base of the upper mandible and the nostrils concealed by 

 stiff, appressed bristly feathers; middle of the mandible having several ridges 

 narallel with the culmen ; inner lateral toe rather the longer, its claw reaching the 

 middle of the middle claw; the hind toe rather longer, its claw longer than the digi- 

 tal portion; wings very long, reaching the middle of the tail; second quill a little 

 longer than the first and third; tail deeply forked. 



