146 



6 



Radde met with large flocks on the north-west shores of Lake Baikal on several occasions, and 

 he names especially the 15th July (O. S.). Dr. Dybowski says that it is very rare in the Kultuk 

 district, but commoner in Dauria. It frequents the mountains, in the larch-groves, and breeds 

 there. In Irkutsk the bird-catchers catch it and keep it in cages. It is said to be easily tamed, 

 and sings well. In the Nearctic Region this species is replaced by a nearly allied but specifically 

 distinct bird, Loxia leucoptera. 



In habits our European White-winged Crossbill much resembles the common Crossbill. I 

 have only on one occasion, many years ago, seen it alive ; and, so far as I can recollect, there was 

 no perceptible difference in its habits from those of the other species. The birds I saw were 

 silently and busily engaged in extracting the seeds from the cones of the spruce-trees, and were 

 exceedingly tame. When disturbed or fired at several times, they would fly from tree to tree 

 uttering a low note like -that of the common Crossbill. One curious circumstance with the 

 present species is that the male is said to sing excellently. Mr. C. Craemers assures me that he 

 has kept several for long caged, and that they sang quite as well as a Canary. Von Nordmann 

 also says (J. f. O. 1864, p. 363) that one he had in confinement sang excellently. Wishing to 

 convince myself of this by personal observation I asked Mr. Craemers to purchase a tame one for 

 me ; and he procured two, both of which, he assures me, he frequently heard singing ; but, unfor- 

 tunately, a cat which was on board the steamer when they were on their way to England got at 

 them and killed both. 



As above stated, Mr. Craemers obtained, through a friend, a nest and two eggs of this 

 Crossbill. The nest closely resembles that of Loxia curvirostra, but is smaller, and somewhat 

 slighter in structure ; and the eggs are rather darker in ground-colour than those of that species, 

 and smaller in size, but otherwise closely resemble them. I may remark that Meves describes 

 the eggs as being whiter than those of Loxia curvirostra, which description does not apply to 

 those I have examined : and there can be no doubt as to then* authenticity ; for both the old birds 

 were shot and sent with the nest and eggs, and are now in my collection. 



The present species and Loxia leucoptera have, as above stated, been very generally confused ; 

 and even when the differences were pointed out by Brehm and Gloger, they were not generally 

 recognized as distinct, until Professor Nilsson and Baron De Selys Longchamps undertook careful 

 investigation into the matter, and finally set it at rest. The main distinctions may be given 

 curtly as follows, viz. : — Loxia bifasciata has a much stouter bill than Loxia leucoptera, the 

 scapulars and dorsal feathers are more broadly edged with brown or red, these edgings being 

 almost absent in Loxia leucoptera; the tail is rather less forked, and the feathers are always 

 conspicuously margined with reddish white; whereas in L. leucoptera they have scarcely any 

 light edges, and in old males the red colour is more of a light vermilion tinge in L. bifasciata, 

 and almost pomegranate-red in L. leucoptera ; but this last character is not much to be 

 relied on. 



The specimens figured are — on the same Plate with Loxia leucoptera, an adult male for 

 comparison with that species, and on a second Plate a male in rather peculiar plumage, the red 

 being intermixed with yellow, an adult female and a young bird. 



