BIRDS FRINGILLIDAE— CURVIROSTRA LEUCOPTERA. 
427 
have at hand, (wing 3.65 inches.) No. 8962 has a still larger hill. In fact, there appears to be 
a great difference in the size of the hill in different specimens, and this indiscriminately in 
both eastern and western skins. 
The difference between the European and American Crossbills appears to consist chiefly in the 
larger size, with larger and stouter bill of the former. 
A Loxia mexicana, described by Strickland, is said by Bonaparte to have the same relation- 
ship to the americana that pytiopsittacus has to curvirostra, namely, a larger bill. I cannot 
now lay my hand on Mr. Strickland's article, but I doubt whether the characters furnished by 
a comparison of a small number of specimens will lead to very satisfactory results, in view of 
the great differences observable in size of bill in specimens from the same locality. 
List of specimens. 
Sex. Locality. 
■ 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig'l 
No. 
Collected by- 
Length 
Stretch 
of wing-' 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
Pro'. Jos. Leconte.. 
June 18, 1848 
do 
3 
3 
Q 
Philada., Pa 
Jan. — , 1850 
Acad. Nat. Sciences 
0 
Fort Steilacoom, W. T. 
Aug. 1, 1856 
Mar. 30, 1854 
April 1, 1854 
Dr. G. Suckley .... 
573 
58 
56 
64 
75 
do 
6.25 
9.50 
3.37 
3 
Slioalwater bay, W. T. . 
Mar. 4, 1851 
6.00 
5.75 
5.75 
10. 50 
10.25 
10.25 
Ins bill and feet 
blown. 
Des Chutes river, 0. T.. 
Lieut. Williamson.. 
Mar. — , 1854 
Laramie peak, Neb ? . 
1857 
6435 
6436 
6437 
6438 
6439 
6440 
6441 
6442 
4476 
4485 
3727 
CURVIROSTRA LEUCOPTERA, Wilson 
White-winged Crossbill. 
Loxia leucoptera, Gm. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 540.— Aud. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 467 ; pi. 364.— Ib. Birds Amer. Ill, 1841, 
190; pi. 201.— Bonap. Conspectus Av. 1850, 527.— Bon. & Schl Mon. Loxiens, 1850, 8; pi. ix. 
Curvirostra leucoptera, Wils. Am. Orn. IV, 1811. 48; pi. xxxi, f. 3. 
Crucirostra leucoptera, Brehm, Naumannia, I, 1853, 254, fig. 20. 
Loxia falciroslra, Lath. Index Orn. I, 1790,371. 
Sp. Ch. — Bill greatly compressed, and acute towards the point. Male carmine red, tinged with dusky across the back ; the 
sides of body under the wings streaked with brown ; from the middle of belly to the tail coverts whitish, the latter streaked with 
brown. Scapulars, wings, and tail black ; the broad bands on the wings across the ends of greater and median coverts ; white 
spots on the end of the inner tertiaries. 
Female brownish, tinged with olive green in places; feathers of the back and crown with dusky centres; rump bright brownish 
yellow. 
Length, about 6.25 ; wing, 3.50 ; tail, 2.60. 
Hab. — Northern parts of North America generally 
