ARKANSAW SISKIN.


Siskin are confined to the three outer feathers, whilst in the foreign
bird all the feathers, excepting the two middle ones, are marked
with yellow; the bill of our species is also a little shorter, less
compressed, and less acuminated; finally, we may notice another
trifling difference, which consists in the proportional length of the
primaries, the four first being nearly equal in the American bird,
and the three first only in the European, the fourth being almost
a quarter of an inch shorter. The other approximate species,
Fringilla magellanica, Vieill. considered by Gmelin and Latham
as a variety of the European Siskin, is readily distinguishable by
having the head entirely black.
Though the Mexican Siskin (Fringilla mexicana, Gmel.) may
prove to be the female of our bird, or the male in an imperfect
state of plumage, (and, from the locality, we should possibly have
referred it to that name, had the classification of it fallen to our
lot,) yet, as nothing positive can be drawn from so unessential an
indication as that of the Mexican Siskin, we have no hesitation in
following the same course with Say, who considers it as entirely
new, and have retained his elegant name of Fringilla psaltria.
It is very possible that not only the Fringilla mexicana, but also
the Black Mexican Siskin, (Fringilla catotol, Gmel.) may be the
same bird as our Fringilla psaltria; but how can we determine,
from the vague descriptions that have been given of those species?
they are equally applicable to the American Goldfinch in its dull
state of plumage; and Wilson expresses a doubt whether or not
the Black Mexican Siskin is the same as his new species, Frin-
gilla pinus.
All these pretty little birds belong to the sub-genus Carduelis,
having a more slender, acute, and elongated bill, than other Frin-
gillew.


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