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. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig’l 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
6702 
3574 
5803 
5804 
5805 
508 
507 
C. Drexler. 
o 
9 
o 
6435 
6436 
Fort Steilacoom, W. T. 
Aug. 1, 1856 
Mar. 30, 1854 
Dr. G. Suckley .... 
573 
58 
6437 
April 1, 1854 
56 
6.25 
9.50 
3.37 
6438 
64 
6439 
75 
6440 
$ 
Shoalwater bay, W. T.. 
Mar. 4, 1854 
Dr. J. G. Cooper... 
6.00 
10-50 
6441 
5.75 
10.25 
Iris bill and feet 
brown. 
6442 
5.75 
10.25 
4476 
Dee Chutes river, O. T.. 
1855. 
4485 
Mar. —, 1854 
3727 
8962 
Laramie peak, Neb ?. .. 
1857. 
8963 
1857. 
CUKVIROSTRA LEUCOPTERA, Wilson. 
White-winged Crossbill. 
Loxia lewcoptera, Gm. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 540.— Add. 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. 
i 
