1922] Swarth: Birds and Mammals of the SUkine Begmi 233 



southeeistern Alaska is entirely cut off from that of Loxia curvirostra 

 minor of eastern North America through the intervention of the form 

 bendirei. The Alaskan bird has been named Loxia curvirostra sitkensis 

 by Grinnell (19096, p. 223), based largely on color characters in the 

 adult liiale. Birds from Vancouver Island do not exhibit the same 

 sort of differentiation from minor, in fact to my eye they are indis- 

 tinguishable. Nevertheless it seems evident that the Vancouver Island 

 birds also occupy part of the territory that is separated from minor 

 by the habitat of bendirei. The proper nomenclatural treatment of 

 such a form as the Vancouver Island race of Loxia curvirostra is an 

 open question. It seems evident that genetically it is as far from 

 minor as is bendirei; yet, since the birds from the Pacific and Atlantic 

 regions are indistinguishable in appearance, we call them all by the 

 same name. 



The characters ascribed to L. c. bendirei by Ridgway (1901, p. 50) 

 are as follows: "Similar to L. c. minor, but decidedly larger; adult 

 male averaging rather lighter or brighter in color, the adult female 

 slightly lighter and grayer." These characters are well borne out by 

 the specimens of bendirei in the collection of this museum. In addi- 

 tion, the young birds from Telegraph Creek, all in the streaked juvenal 

 plumage, exhibit well defined features of size and color. They are 

 appreciably larger than comparable examples of sitkensis and minor, 

 and are grayish toned. Juvenals of the small coastal race are much 

 more greenish and olivaceous in general body color. 



Loxia curvirostra sitkensis Grinnell. Sitka Crossbill 

 On Sergief Island, during August and September, a few red cross- 

 bills were seen at various times. On August 28 an adult female was 

 collected (no. 39875). This bird was evidently incubating a set of 

 eggs, judging from the bare breast and the condition of the oviduct. 

 It seems curious that nesting should have been going on at that season, 

 when we had taken full-grown juvenals of bendirei at Telegraph Creek 

 in June. 



Loxia leucoptera Gmelin. White-winged Crossbill 



First positively identified at Glenora, July 4, and near Telegraph 



Creek, July 5, though small flocks had been seen several days before 



that were suspected to be this species. During the first three weeks 



in July flocks were seen daily, in rapidly increasing numbers. Then, 



