Birds, 



8033 



Length, 7\ inches; carpus to tip, 4 inches ; tarsus, f inch ; beak from rictus, $ inch ; 

 circumference of beak at base, 2 inches. One of the females differed from this 

 measurement only in having the beak about a line less ; the other was altogether 

 smaller: — Length, 7 inches ; carpus to tip, 3 T 8 inches ; tarsus, % inch ; beak, f inch ; 

 circumference of beak, 1^ inch. In plumage the male bird was, on the top of the 

 head aud cheeks, middle of back, chest, abdomen and flanks, of a mottled brick-red 

 and green, the former predominating ; rump and upper tail-coverts bright vermilion- 

 red, tinged with yellow ; sides of throat-scapularies and upper wing-coverts dirty 

 green; primaries and tail brown-black; under tail-coverts gray; feet dull brown; 

 tarsi lighter ; beak horn-colour ; the lower mandible lightest. The female had those 

 parts which were mottled with brick-red in the male, green ; rump and upper tail- 

 coverts bright yellow ; throat and under tail-coverts gray ; primaries and tail black- 

 brown. No other differences. Their crops contained the seeds of what I believe to 

 be the Scotch fir: I enclose some for your opinion. I have heard of one other speci- 

 men having been shot, which, from its size, I should infer was this species ; and I have 

 seen a male of the common crossbill which was entirely dark brick-red, which was 

 shot in February near Walton-on-the-Naze. There is no difficulty in distinguishing 

 the parrot crossbill, by its greater size and by the marked difference in the thickness 

 and breadth and general parrot-like appearance of the beak. Whether they are 

 distinct species or not I am not prepared to say. They are, however, sufficiently 

 distinct to be kept and described separately, which is all we can say of many other 

 closely-allied forms. Mr. Wheelwright has been good enough to send me a series of 

 skins, old and young, with the nest and eggs, of the parrot crossbill from Sweden. 

 There is no difference whatever in the plumage, but my specimens are rather larger 

 than those from Sweden. Your ornithological readers will doubtless have seen 

 Mr. Wheelwright's paper upon the plumage of these birds (Zool. 8001), in which he 

 thinks the yellow dress that of the old male. He will, I have no doubt, work out 

 this question satisfactorily, as be is in a country where any number of specimens can 

 be procured. Mr. Wheelwright informs me that the parrot crossbill appears only in 

 alternate years in the neighbourhood of where he resides. In fact, he only gets the 

 common crossbill one year and the parrot the next, and vice versa, one species 

 replacing the other. This interesting fact looks, I think, very much like a question of 

 maturity between the two forms. It cannot be that the stronger drives the weaker 

 away in the struggle for existence. — C. R. Bree ; Colchester, April 14, 1862. 



Of the change of Plumage in the Crossbills and Pine Grosbeak. — In the May 

 number of the * Zoologist ' (Zool. 8001), some observations are made by Mr. Wheel- 

 wright on the change of plumage of these birds. He begins by saying, " Even now 

 it appears that it is not quite clear what is the true mature plumage of these birds," 

 &c. " Referring to every British authority that I can find, I am led to suppose that 

 the mature plumage in both species is red ; in extreme age tinged with yellow," &c. 

 "But such is not the case; the red plumage is only an intermediate stage," &c. 

 I will not refer to British authors, but turn to Temminck, Vol. i. p. 325. " Loxia 

 Pityopsittacus. Liviee du male adulte et vieux: couleurs principales du plumage d'un 

 cendre olivatre; joues, gorge et cotes du cou cendres ; sur la tete des taches 

 brunes bordees de cendre verdatre ; croupion, d'un jaune verdatre; poitrine et ventre 

 de cette couleur, mais nuances de grisatre," &c. But the young male is described as 

 having " Toutes les parties inferieures et superieures du corps d'un rouge ponceau, plus 

 ou moins pur, suivant que les individus sont plus ou moins eloignes du terme de leur 

 VOL. XX. 2 E 



