FEMALE WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 
44i 
instance, however, he took the liberty of altering Gmelin’s 
name, most probably with the view of giving one analogous 
to that of Loxia curvirostra^ and indicative of the remarkable 
form of the bill. That character having since been employed 
as generic, the propriety of Latham’s change has ceased to 
exist, and in fact the advantage is altogether on the side of 
Gmelin. We have therefore respected the right of priority, 
even in the case of an usurper. 
The female white-winged crossbill is five inches and three 
quarters long, and nearly nine in extent ; the bill is more than 
five-eighths long, of a dark horn colour, paler on the edges : 
as is the case in the whole genus, it is very much compressed 
throughout, but especially at the point, where the edges almost 
unite into one : both mandibles are curved (the lower one up- 
wards) from the base, the ends crossing each other ; the upper 
has its ridge distinct, and usually crosses to the left in both 
sexes, and not, as Wilson appears to intimate, generally in 
one sex only ; the lower mandible is considerably shorter ; the 
tongue is short, cartilaginous, and entire ; the irides are of a 
very dark hazel ; the small setaceous feathers covering the 
nostrils, which is one of the characteristics of the genus, are 
whitish grey ; the bottom of the plumage is every where slate 
colour ; the head, and all the upper parts, down to the rump, 
are of a greyish green, strongly tinged with olive, each feather 
being marked with black in the centre, giving the plumage a 
streaked appearance, as represented in the plate ,* the rump is 
pure pale lemon yellow, the upper tail-coverts are blackish, 
margined with whitish olive ; the front, and a broad line over 
and round the eye and bill, are slightly distinguished from the 
general colour of the head by the want of olivaceous, being 
greyish white, and as the feathers are very small, appear mi- 
nutely dotted with black : the curved blackish spot, more ap- 
parent in the colours of the male, is slightly indicated on the 
sides of the head ; the sides of the head and neck, the throat, 
and the breast, are of a greyish white, also streaked with black- 
ish, and somewhat tinged with yellowish on the ^ sides of the 
