borealis of Vieillot, and as such gave it in 1835 the place of
a good species in the third part of his ‘ Manuel d’Ornithologie ’
(p. 264). In 1888 Bonaparte (Geogr. and Comp. List, p. 34)
admitted three Redpolls as European birds, Linota canescens,
L. borealis and L. linaria, by the first of which is meant this
largest form, though it is not the canescens of Mr. Gould, by
the second the true linaria of Linnaeus, our Mealy Redpoll
just treated of, and by the third our Lesser Redpoll next
to he considered. And so when, in 1843, Holholl published
his description of Linota hornemanni, he identified it with
the Linaria canescens, with which it should not be confounded.
He gave a good description of its habits and
appearance, stating that it was resident in Greenland throughout
the year, while the other Redpoll found in that country
(L. linaria) was hut a summer-visitant, that it did not appear
to breed further to the southward than lat. 69° N. and was
common enough even in lat. 73°, but in winter gathered in
large flocks which wandered over the interior. It has since
been said to occur occasionally on the continent of Europe,
and Degland mentions one in Bâillon’s collection which was
netted near Abbeville ; hut the Editor can only point to a
single example obtained in England. This is in the collection
of Mr. Hancock, who has described and figured it in his
4 Catalogue of the Birds of Northumberland and Durham ’
(p. 54, pi. 5), saying that it was knocked down with
a clod of earth, April 24th, 1855, on the sea-hanks near
Whitburn, where it had been observed flying about for a few
days. This form of Redpoll probably visits the continent of
America at times in winter, but the only satisfactory additions
that can here he made to what was previously known
of it, are that Mr. Hancock possesses a specimen from Iceland,
and that Mr. Eaton in 1873 found it breeding at Wide
Bay in Spitsbergen*, where he obtained a specimen which
is now in the Museum of the .University of Cambridge.
# Scoresby (Aret. Keg. i. pp. 131 and 537) had long before stated that a
Redpoll was found in Spitsbergen, but none of the naturalists visiting that
country since his time having met with it, they had commonly supposed him to
be mistaken. The more than vindication of his accuracy by Mr. Eaton makes
the latter’s voyage memorable among ornithologists.
The Arctic Redpoll, to adopt Mr. Hancock’s name for it,
chiefly differs- from the ordinary Mealy Redpoll in its larger
size and paler tints, while on closer scrutiny its somewhat
longer and more deeply-forked tail, and rather longer claws
become evident. Even in full summer-plumage none of its
colours seem ever to be so dark as in the commoner bird,
hut the examination of a larger series of specimens than has
hitherto fallen to the lot of the Editor is needed before this
can he averred with certainty. In winter the excessive whiteness
of the margins of its body-feathers is at once striking.
A cock-bird will measure in entire length five inches and a
half, and its wing from the carpal joint three inches and a
quarter, the tail being about two inches and a half. The
hen is not inconsiderably smaller—with the wing measuring
three inches or a little over, and the tail about two inches
and three-eighths.
The vignette represents the skulls of the Mealy and Lesser
Redpoll, with comparative linear measurements, drawn from
specimens prepared by the late Mr. Pelerin, and by him sup
plied for the use of this work.