The four above described states' o£ plumage are selected from
a imbiber of specimens shot qn the same day and out oft the
same flock. TIteA changes- oT-thesexbirds, must still rank among
the unexplained phenomena of Natural History. I An illustration
might .be attempted supposing aydou-ble, moult to take place
in the birds of «this .genus, but besides that we* ought to be
eaji{ious in admitting an hypothesis' like this not,founded on
observation, itw o u ld fee,, entirely untenable in the present
instance,' from th e fact th tt all the variations of plumage ar-e
found-at the same .-period^ oft- t^e,-year, thus proving th at age-, and
of .course sex,drat not season, produceytheste, changes; rand- ype
must provisionally admit, th a t contrary to- -what^takess,pl|!i©| in
all other, birds,- these (tjke Crossbills) together with the. Pinh-
Bullfmches, - lose,.instead of acquiring brilliancy .of .cqlou^vas
they advance in age.
. .This spe.Cies inhabits during summer the remqtest yegionsi^f
Nbrth America, and it .is therefore extraordinary that- it should
not have .been found iaa^the analogous climates- o£ th ^ o ld
continent. In this,- its range us widely extended,,,- as we oasjj
trace it- from Labrador, westward*-tp Fort deyla FourchC -in
latitude $q°, the borders of-jPeace rivgj*,. andfM-ontague Island
bn the North-west coast, where ut was found by Dixon. Round
Hudson’s-Bay it i-s-common and well known, probably-&|tending
-far to the northjwe&tj as Mackenzie appears to allude to it Wjhen
speaking, of the only land bird;'found in the desolate regions
3 ^ was^^pioring, wftipb- enlivened with itg^agreeable nqtes the
deep and, silent forests ,of those,ifr^zenutracts.. It iSj-eejmmop
on the borders of Lake pntarip, and descends in autumn and
winter -into Canada and the Northern and Middle states-^ Its
migrations however, are very irregular. During fqur, ye^rs-<pji.
had escaped my careful researches, *and now while^jvritiijg (in
the first week of November, ,1822$ they are so abundant, that
I able t^ h o om ^ ^m h ^ r e^ ^ u ffib ^ ^ ^ tfo f flocks'that are
S^hU'ally'Äighfihghn a $<>pst* oT j of hy riie \Pinm inops)
eTch'“)|Jpft(- my"’ wmdE I^p^rOper on;^tbat- owing
p;( Ili.qv^i-b W( n u b uffrroToI^IT !w ^ o n .1 w f ^ b e e n
d|riingup)®[*^y d r a i n s , * and violHt gM e^ f ' wind,
there' h a ^ « m ® ^ t r a o r d ^ ^ ^ f l i g y ^ O T P ^ i I t t o ^liiany
‘ffocli-oTOie 'Purple Fm ll^ ^ ^ ^ e r i^ ih ’ all »^ctloris. Thl
an jJRwii ffö tn iliifir 'pM fffi if tuW R Ä h l ^ m w S f T a
^vournhw ^ ^ w itH ■ inii liim tfng
(£mfitnzdtiu«asfhi»s «J y . y a ^ a p p r y,
3 sin<lW parlies, intt r
The White-w i r ' ^ H hu| ^ S Bayjm
m iir leturrl front tFu soiftK. and4 lm\{f
H S g Ä S tlfe ' nMsl ' iTw rll^T T^ tfrR t t t ^ c ^ r ^ c l
than.q\en^ winter residents. T?hf\ art seid«jju^of)se^*<Af*e^c\\hTrP"
® än in pine swamps* anF^ref^ ft. dmg
the seeds pfHhl ' Wge^ter with a ^ i x n ^ x v I P i l i f
■gecimens l y h tamerf Itarl^ S P f f l^ jp s ^YferQ^ S B ^ ^ iuUrellu
mi f 6 -! fS f - I’j^^^Spt m S ^ S ^ f^ r om
W M ® hfty, w h e n ^ rm e r l Midrpr!]* ^11 a l y ^ S
anff^ftgl h ^iffle M S Ä & m g m *t^^mr,^g^«-a!tj 'alfgfitmg
again mearly on tm ' s?utje^-fi^w^em-f^ m ^ i ia ^ c ^ o i ”* nr*
nakeä#*bräncE^^W^()inF^iltahX, liigh,* ant i^u^fie^
tr®e- . 5L.C(lu n t l pass the ‘lun^i^^^my^iinfd
®®ir -oil thejiml) otrapirmtm\ ar d s yfs^e^mposerf
of ’ antifVimal ni^ti;a^iyltl^feMerf"
The femah Jotshjre eggs, vflueliare \\\{\leflp^xihwm*yell(^fh.
The young feaw^^mi\^ ^ in Jufie, Und <o^%^^^)fe
phierits inTheir auturmäfmfgrafiöm^ '
Hi fine northern cbuntiuBs, wfiene thesemrds arWifeHrypum^rous