290 LESSER REDPOLL. 
to the circumstance of these birds seldom appearing in the neighbor- 
hood of Philadelphia. Considerable flocks of them, however, have 
visited us this winter, (1813-14 ;) and we have been enapled to pro- 
cure several fine specimens of both sexes, from the most perfect of 
which we have taken the following description. We will add, that 
having had the good fortune to observe a flock, consisting of nearly 
a hundred, within a few feet of them, as they were busily engaged 
in picking the seeds of the wild orache,* we can, with confidence, as- 
sert, that they all had the red patck on the crown; but there were 
very few which had the red rump and breast: the young males, it is 
probable, are not thus marked until the spring, and the females are 
destitute of that ornament altogether. 
“ The Lesser Redpoll is five inches and a quarter in length, and 
eight inches and a half in breadth; the bill is pale yellow, ridged 
above and below with dark horn color, the upper mandible projecting 
somewhat over the lower at the tip; irides, dark hazel; the nostrils 
are covered with recumbent, hair-like feathers, of drab color; a line 
of brown extends from the eyes, and encircles the base of the bill, 
forming, in some specimens, a patch below the chin; the crown is 
ornamented with a pretty large spot of deep, shining crimson; the 
throat, breast, and rump, stained with the same, but of a more delicate 
red; the belly is of a very pale ash, or dull white; the sides are 
streaked with dusky ; the whole upper parts are brown or dusky ; the 
plumage, edged with yellowish white and pale ash, the latter most 
predominant near the rump; wings and tail, dusky; the latter is 
forked, and consists of twelve feathers edged with white; the prima- 
ries are very slightly tipped and edged with white, the secondaries 
more so; the greater and lesser coverts are also tipped with white, 
forming the bars across the wings; thighs, cinereous; legs and feet, 
black ; hind claw, considerably hooked, and longer than the rest. The 
female is less bright in her plumage above; and her under parts in- 
cline more to an ash color; the spot on her crown is of a golden 
crimson, or reddish saffron color. One male specimen was considera- 
bly larger than the rest; it measured five inches and three quarters in 
length, and nine inches and a quarter in extent; the breast and rump 
were tawny ; its claws were uncommonly long; the hind one measured 
nearly three eighths of an inch; and the spot on the crown was of a 
darker hue than that of the rest. 
“The call of this bird exactly resembles that of the Fringilla 
tristis, or Common Yellow-Bird of Pennsylvania. The Redpolls lin- 
ger in the neighborhood of Philadelpaia until about the middle of 
April; but whither they retire for the business of incubation, we can- 
not determine. In common with almost all our Finches, the Redpolls 
become very fat, and are then accounted delicious eating. During 
the last winter, many hundreds of them were exposed to sale in the 
Philadelphia market, and were readily purchased by those epicures, 
whose love of variety permits no delicacy to escape them.”] 
* Atrizler hastata, Linn. 
