Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/597

Rh vermilion, on the whole upper parts of the body. Females bearing the same appearances of old age, were as I have represented them in my plate.

Reader, as men may commit errors when most anxious to arrive at the truth, you will greatly obhge me by undertaking a series of observa- tions, similar to those which I have made, and stating the result. LoxiA cuRviRosTRA, Liim. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 299 — Lath. Synops. vol. i. p. 361 —

Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 11?. American Crossbill, Curvirostra Americana, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. iv. p. 44. pi. 21. fig. 1, 2.

Common Crossbill, Nuttall, Manual, part i. p. 583.

Adult Male. Plate CXCVII. Fig. 1, 1.

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 incum- bent feathers of the forehead. The general form is compact and robust, the head and neck large. Feet rather short, strong ; tarsus short comr pressed, anteriorly scutellate, sharp behind ; toes separated, the two late- ral nearly equal, and considerably shorter than the middle one ; claws compressed, very acute, curved, the hind one largest.

The plumage is blended, but rather firm. Wings of ordinary length, curved, acute, the first and second primaries longest. Tail short, small, emarginate.

Bill brown, horn-colour on the edges, and darker at the tip. Iris hazel. Feet dusky. The general colour of the plumage is a dull light red, inchning 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 ^^ ; tar-

Young Male after the first moult. Plate CXCVIL Fig. 2.

At this age the colours of the imale are paler and duller, but are similarly distributed. There is aji admixture of yellow tints on the back, and more especially on the rump.