248 ZOOLOGY— BIRDS. 



LOXIA CUKVIROSTEA, L., var. AMERICANA (Wils.). 

 Red Crossbill. 



Curvirostra americana, Wils., Am. Oru., iv, 1811, 41, pi. xxxi, figs. 1, 2. — Bn., Birds N. 

 A., 1858, 426.— Coop. & Suckl., P. It. 14. Rep., xii, pt. ii, 1860, l'.tS.— IIayd., 

 Trans. Am. Phil. Soc., xii, 1862, 165. — Coues, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pbila., 

 1866, S4 (Fort \Vhipi>!<>, Ariz.).— Cooper, Birds Cal., i, 1870, 148 (Sierra 

 Nevada). — CoiiES, Key N. A. Birds, 1872, 129, pi. iii, figs. 13, 14, 15. — Snow, 

 Birds Kan., 1872, !>. 



Loxia americana, Newb., P. R. It. Rep., vi, 1S57, 87. — Allen, Proc. Bost. Soe. Nat. 

 Hist., June, 1874, 25. 



Loxia curvirostra var. americana, Coues, Key N. A. Birds, 1872, 351. — Henshaw, 

 Rep. Orn. Specs., 1873, Wheeler's Exped., 1874, 71). — Bd., Brew., & Rido., 

 N. A. Birds, i, 1874, 484, pi. xxiii, figs. 1-4. — Coues, Birds Northwest, 

 1S74, 109. 



LOXIA CURVIROSTRA, L., var. MEXICANA, Strickland. 



Mexican Crossbill. 



Loxia mexicana,. Strickland, Jardine Contrib. Orn., 1851, 43. — Bd., Birds N. A. 



1858, 94. 

 Curvirostra mexicana, Stev., U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr., 1870, 4(34. 

 Curvirostra americana var. mexicana, Coues, Key N. A. Birds, 1872, 120. 

 Loxia curvirostra var. mexicana, Bd., Brew., & Ridg., N. A. Birds, i, 1874, 488. — 



Coues, Birds Northwest, 1874, Kilt. 



The Mexican Crossbill differs from its near relative of more northern 

 regions in the brig-liter coloration, but chiefly in its larger bill ; the differ- 

 ences between extremes of the two forms being very great. In the late 

 work on North American Birds, all specimens from the Central Rocky 

 Mountains of the United States are referred to the Mexican variety; but I 

 am informed by Mr. Ridgway that this is a mistake, the true mexicana not 

 having been observed within our boundaries until during the past season when 

 it was found by our parties to inhabit the mountains of Southern Arizona, 

 specimens from this region being quite identical with those from the Mexi- 

 can table lands. Near Fort Garland, I obtained specimens of the Crossbill, 

 which are perfectly typical of the var. americana as restricted. At Pagosa, 

 however, about seventy-five miles west of Fort Garland, Colo., Mr. Aiken 

 obtained during the past season two Crossbills, one an adult, which, both in 

 intensity of coloration and size of bill, approximate closely to those obtained 

 by myself in Arizona, and certainly approach much closer to the Mexican 

 variety than to americana. 1 therefore, without much doubt, refer them to 



