THE COMMON CROSSBILL. 
189 
vania, New York, and the north-eastern States to Nova Scotia. Common. 
Migratory. 
American Crossbill, Curvirostra cnnericana, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. iv. p. 44. 
Loxia curvirostra, Bonap. Syn., p. 117. 
Common Crossbill, Nutt. Man., vol'. i. p. 583. 
Common Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra , Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 559 ; vol. v. p. 511. 
Adult Male. 
Bill of ordinary length, strong, convex above and beneath ; mandibles 
crossing each other and compressed towards the tips, which are incurvate 
and acute. Nostrils small, basal, rounded, covered by the small incumbent 
feathers of the forehead. The general form is compact and robust, the 
head and neck large. Feet rather short,. strong ; tarsus short, compressed, 
anteriorly scutellate, sharp behind; toes separated, the two lateral nearly 
equal, and considerably shorter than the middle one ; claws compressed, 
■ r ery acute, curved, the hind one largest. 
xhe plumage is blended, but rather firm. Wings of ordinary length, 
curved, acute, the first and second primaries longest. Tail short, small, 
emarginate. 
Bill brown, hern-colour on the edges, and darker at the tip. Iris hazel. 
Feet dusky. The general colour of the plumage is a dull light red, inclin- 
ing to vermilion, darker on the wings. Quills and tail-feathers brownish- 
black ; the red colour is paler on the lower parts, and on the belly passes 
into whitish. 
Length 7 inches, extent of wings 10; bill along the ridge ,-® ¥ ; tarsus T \. 
Young Male after the first moult. 
At this age the colours of the male are paler and duller, but are similarly 
distributed. There is an admixture of yellow tints on the back, and more 
especially on the rump. 
Young Male fully fledged. 
In its second plumage the young male is of a dull green colour, mixed 
with brown above, greyish-yellow, tinged with green beneath, the sides of 
the head over the eyes greenish-yellow, and the rump and upper tail-coverts 
of the same colour. 
Adult Female. 
The upper parts are greyish-brown, tinged with green, the rump dull 
greyish-yellow ; the sides of the head and neck of the same colour as the 
back ; the under parts pale greyish-yellow, brighter on the fore part of the 
breast. 
Young Female fully fledged. 
Vol. III. 
32 
