of accounting for the change be true we can well understand
that there should be cases in which the waning and waxing
of the bill may go on independently of the season, provided
only that the bird’s food varies in places or at times sufficiently
to produce the effects as observed by Wolley at Muonioniska
with reference only to the season.
The breeding-range of this Redpoll in Europe is pretty
well limited to the birch-region of its northern parts,* its
most southerly extension being the Langfjeld in Norway, but
in Sweden not beginning till near (Estersund. In Finland
its boundary is uncertain, but it is not known to lie further
to the southward than Kuopio, and even about Kajana the
bird is not very common in summer. Throughout the whole
of Lapland, it is very numerous. Its distribution to the eastward
must as yet be spoken of with all reserve. It has commonly
been thought to extend across the whole of Siberia
to Kamchatka—as stated by the Russian naturalists, and
examples have been procured in North China and Japan.
This much is, no doubt, true, but most of the Redpolls
obtained by Messrs. Alston and Harvie Brown about Archangel,
and by the latter gentleman and Mr. Seebohm on
the Lower Petchora seem to belong to a smaller form which
requires further examination, and is indistinguishable from
the JEgiothus exilipes of Dr. Coues.f Further research
may very likely prove that each has its peculiar breeding-
limits, but at present nothing more can be said with any
degree of precision. After crossing the Pacific we find
that the true Linota linaria is abundant in the northern
parts of North America I—specimens from San Francisco
in the west and Philadelphia in the east exactly agreeing
* I t is said to breed in Iceland, but from a specimen sent tbence to Mr. Hancock,
the Editor thinks that the form found in that island is most likely the
larger one to be presently considered.
f Mr. Brown has kindly given the Editor an opportunity of examining some
of the specimens procured from each of these localities, and thus of correcting
the assignment of the trivial names rufescens and canescens given by him and
his friends (Ibis, 1873, p. 64 and 1876, p. 116) to the Redpolls they observed
there.
+’ By nearly all the ornithologists of the United States the name “ Lesser
Redpoll ” has unfortunately been applied to this bird.
with those from Scandinavia, while others from Greenland
shew that it reaches that country in summer. But Greenland
is also one of the homes of another and larger form of
Redpoll which, occasionally visiting Great Britain and the
continent of Europe, has been commonly, though erroneously,
adjudged to be the Linaria canescens of Mr. Gould but is the
L. hornemanni of Holboll*, while in North America no fewer
than five other “ species” of Redpoll have been elaborately
described or admitted by Dr. Coues (Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc.
Philad. 1861, pp. 222, 378-890; 1863, p. 40; 1869, p.
180). On these it is here unnecessary to pass an opinion,
but it may be remarked that, according to Prof. Baird (Hist.
N. Am. Birds, i. p. 492), only two of them satisfy the
criticism of Mr. Ridgway, viz.—Linota linaria and L.
hornemanni (the canescens of many authors).
To return however to our own bird in the Old World. To
the eastward, as will have been gathered, we can but guess
at its distribution, and must at present continue in doubt as
to the form of Redpoll which pervades nearly the whole of
European Russia, appearing in winter so far to the southward
as Odessa. Even in Central Europe little that is
positive can be asserted, for few of the German ornithologists
have discriminated it from its near ally the Lesser Redpoll
next to be described; but it is supposed to breed occasionally
in Thuringia and is probably a more or less regular winter-
visitant throughout Germany, since it has been obtained at
Yienna and even in Styria, where it is said by Herr Hanf to
breed yearly (Yerhandl. zool.-bot. Gesellsch. 1856, p. 694),
and Carinthia, and at times occurs in Switzerland, where Col.
Ward informs the Editor it was very abundant in the Canton
Yaud during the winter of 1874-5. It appears in Italy, but,
according to Dr. Salvadori, does not pass beyond the middle
of the peninsula.! In the south of France it has been for
many years known to occur, though, says Roux (who was
one of the first to follow Yieillot in recognizing its distmct-
* Naturhist. Tidsskrift, iv. p. 398. _ H
i This author cites some supposed instances of its breeding near the la | ot
Como, hut herein there may he a mistake on the part of the observers.