82 UiiivcrsUij of (UiUfornia FuhJicaiions in ZooJogjj. [Vol. 7 



secured one, an adult female, at the Chickamin River, June 19 

 (no. 9545), out of a large flock. 



As I have not at hand any additional material — nor even as 

 much as Grinnell (1909, p. 223) had when he described the race 

 sitkensis — I do not feel qualified to argue very strongly either 

 for or against the recognition of this subspecies, though with 

 his Alaskan specimens before me I am quite able to appreciate 

 the points he makes, both concerning the color of the male birds, 

 and the general size of the form. There is this much, also, to 

 be said in support of the naming of a northwest coast race of 

 the red crossbill, that although in size it closely approaches the 

 eastern minor, it appears to be separated from the range of that 

 bird by a robust, large-billed form. The crossbills wintering 

 in the Mississippi Valley approach very nearly the variety 

 bendirei in size, and are as conspicuously different from the 

 southern Alaska birds as from those of the Atlantic states. It 

 is fair to assume that this is the breeding bird of the interior of 

 Canada, and that the race sitkensis is hence completely separated 

 from the form which it most nearly resembles. 



Loxia leucoptera Gmelin. White-winged Crossbill. 



Apparentl.y mainly a migrant or winter resident in the 

 southern part of the Sitkan district, for none were seen after 

 May 6. On Kupreanof Island, in April, the species was fairly 

 common in flocks in the woods, and on Kuiu Island a little later 

 a few were seen at various times. We left the latter island on 

 May 6, and saw no more white-winged crossbills at any time. 

 Males in fully adult plumage formed but a small proportion of 

 the flocks seen. 



Eleven specimens were secured: three adult males in bright 

 red plumage of various degrees of intensity, two from Kupreanof 

 Island (nos. 9535, 9540) and one from Kuiu Island (no. 9544) ; 

 also one dull colored male from Kuiu Island (no. 9543) ; and 

 seven females, six from Kupreanof (nos. 9534, 9536-9539, 9541) 

 and one from Kuiu (no. 9542.) 



Several of the birds secured appear to have recently accom- 

 plished a partial molt, and are in noticeably bright, fresh, 

 plumage, as compared with certain others. 



