AMERICAN CROSSBILL. 
37 
lesser coverts are also tipt with white, forming the bars across 
the wings ; thighs, cinereous ; legs and feet, black; hind claw, 
considerably hooked, and longer than the rest. The female is 
less bright in her plumage above ; and her under parts incline 
more to an ash colour ; the spot on her crown is of a golden 
crimson, or reddish saffron colour. One male specimen was 
considerably larger than the rest ; it measured five inches and 
three quarters in length, and nine inches and a quarter in 
extent ; the breast and rump were tawny ; its claws were 
uncommonly long, the hind one measured nearly three- eighths 
of an inch ; and the spot on the crown was of a darker hue 
than that of the rest. 
“ The call of this bird exactly resembles that of the Fringilla 
tristis , or common Yellow Bird of Pennsylvania. The Red- 
polls linger in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia until about 
the middle of April ; but whither they retire for the business 
of incubation, we cannot determine. In common with almost 
all our Finches, the Redpolls become very fat, and are then 
accounted delicious eating. During the last winter, many 
hundreds of them were exposed to sale in the Philadelphia 
market, and were readily purchased by those epicures, whose 
love of variety permits no delicacy to escape them.”] 
AMERICAN CROSSBILL. — CURVIROSTRA AMERICANA. 
Plate XXXI. Fig. 1. male ; Fig. 2. female. 
Peale's Museum, No. 5640. 
LOXIA CURVIROSTRA?- Bonaparte.* 
Loxia curvirostra, Bonap. Synop. p. 117 . 
On first glancing at the bill of this extraordinary bird, one 
is apt to pronounce it deformed and monstrous ; but on atten- 
tively observing the use to which it is applied by the owner, 
* Brisson first limited the Crossbills to a genus, and proposed for them the 
title Loxia, which has been adopted by most ornithologists. Crucirostra 
and Curvirostra, have also been formed for it from the shape of the bill ; but 
ought to be rejected, from the priority of the former. They are a very limited 
