146 
PYRRHULA FRONTALIS. 
sidering it identical with Pyrrhula erythrina of Tem- 
minck, whose description agrees better with it than that 
of any other. Yet, in addition to some differences 
discoverable by comparing the crimson-necked bullfinch 
with his description, we cannot admit, that an arctic 
bird of the old continent, known to visit even the more 
northern portion of the temperate climates only during 
very cold winters, and then not very regularly, should 
be found, in the month of July, on the sultry plains of 
the Arkansaw, and of course breeding there. We 
therefore conclude that our bird is not the erythrina , 
although we regret our inability to give differential 
characters, having never seen that species, as our 
endeavours to obtain a specimen have not been attended 
with success. The southern residence of our bird might 
lead us to suppose it the Loxia ( Pyrrhula ) violacea , 
which we have not seen, neither do we think the 
species well established. But if we are to rely on the 
short description given of it, and on Catesby’s figure, 
we cannot perceive much resemblance between them ; 
their identity, however, would not much surprise us, 
when we consider that Catesby’s figure of the Pyrrhula 
violacea is as much like our bird as his figure of the 
purple finch is like what it is intended to represent. 
Having the authority of Say, we consider it as new, 
notwithstanding these doubts. 
The crimson-necked bullfinch was procured by Long’s 
party, near the Rocky Mountains, and Say described it 
in the journal of that expedition, under the name of 
Fringilla frontalis, adopting that genus in the compre- 
hensive limits assigned by Illiger and Cuvier. The 
specific name given by Say is preoccupied in that genus 
by an African species ; but, as we consider our bird a 
Pyrrhula , we think proper to retain his name. 
The crimson-necked bullfinch is five inches and a 
half long. The bill and feet are horn colour ; the lower 
mandible is paler; the irides are dark brown; the 
head, neck beneath, and superior portion of the breast, 
are biilliant crimson, most intense near the bill and 
over the eye; the space between the bill and the eye 
