280 feingillim;. 



from too short a distance. They appeared to be adult males; 

 males passing from the red state into the adult ; young males just 

 getting a few red feathers ; and females (?), in the brownish-grey 

 state: they seemed to be moulting rapidly. On the 11th of 

 January, 1839, they were still to be seen at Ballibrado, where they 

 have been all the winter, and when noticed about a week before, 

 appeared to have paired. I am of opinion that they bred here 

 last year, on account of their appearance very early, accompanied 

 by a number of young, and from the destruction of the cones of 

 the spruce-fir having been noticed throughout the year." On 

 the 18th of May, 1839, my correspondent transmitted the skins 

 of two specimens for my examination and remarked, — "from 

 ten to twenty crossbills have remained all the winter, and up to 

 the present time at Ballibrado, but, though some search was made, 

 no nest was discovered. About five or six weeks since, two or 

 more clutches of young birds were seen accompanying the old 

 ones, who were observed feeding them. The young bird sent was 

 shot in the act of taking food from an old male ; I received it 

 early in April ; the other bird sent varies a little in colour from 

 most specimens, and was shot about three weeks before that time. 

 The young one had every appearance of a nestling, feet soft and 

 weak, bill not strong, and a great number of the large feathers 

 not fully produced.* " On the 18th of July of the same year, it 

 was stated that crossbills had not been seen at Ballibrado for 

 two months. 



Notes on the plumage, and sometimes full descriptions from 

 the recent specimens which came under my examination, were 

 drawn up ; but it is sufficient to observe here, that they were in 

 every state from that put on at the first moult, to maturity j by far 

 the greater number were in the bright red plumage : one only, 

 (that already noticed,) displayed the markings of the young pre- 

 vious to the first moult. 



* This bird is of adult size : the head, back, and rump, or whole upper plu- 

 mage, is yellowish green, with a dark olive centre to each feather, this dark marking 

 occupying more of the feathers anteriorly than towards the tail ; the entire under 

 plumage is yellowish-white, with an olive-brown streak down the centre of each 

 feather ; tail and larger wing-feathers dark brown, with the outer margin yellowish- 

 green. — W. T. 



