9G CRIMSON-WINGED GROSBEAK. 



This beautiful species is closely allied to the Desert 

 Trumpeter, Pyrrhula githaginea. It has been included 

 with it and Fringilla obsoleta, by Lichtcnstein, in the 

 genus Erythrospiza, in which arrangement he was fol- 

 lowed by Bonaparte. Subsequently Cabanis placed this 

 bird in a new genus, that of Ehodopechys, in which 

 he Avas also followed by the versatile Prince of Canino. 

 It differs, however, from the Bullfinches in the size 

 and form of the beak, and belongs, I think, more 

 strictly to the genus Coccothraustes , although here 

 again the form of the wing is different. 



Bonaparte says of it in his "Conspectus Avium 

 Europearum." p. 28: — "This elegant Erythrospiza 

 phcsnicoptera, which does not differ from the Fringilla 

 sanguined of Gould, from the confines of Persia and 

 Circassia, claims its place in the ornithology of Europe, 

 which it can always ensure by a few movements of 

 its wings. It is essentially sedentary, only changing 

 from plains to mountains." 



In addition to the above places, Erzeroum may be 

 mentioned more particularly as a locality; in the neigh- 

 bourhood of which place it is found in flocks of five 

 or six. It occurs also in the southern parts of Africa. 



In its habits it very much resembles P. githaginea, 

 living among rocks and stones in the desert, and 

 feeding upon seeds. 



The male in breeding plumage has the top of the 

 head black; the nape, back, scapularies, and wing 

 coverts rich chesnut brown, cheeks, throat, and flanks, 

 being a brown of a lighter shade. Wings black, with 

 the first two-thirds of all the primaries, except the 

 first, rich crimson, the secondaries being broadly tipped 

 with very pure white; upper tail coverts crimson; tail 

 black, with the exception of the most external on each 



