200 FJEtlNGILLIDJE. 



The plumage of the nestling- Crossbill obtained in Holt 

 Forest, as before stated, is greyish-white over nearly the 

 whole body, tinged with yellow and streaked longitudinally 

 with dusky brown — the wings and tail being dark brown, the 

 feathers edged and tipped with pale wood-brown. At this 

 time, when the bird may be about three weeks old the bill is 

 straight,* the lower mandible shutting within the upper. 

 The legs and toes are flesh-coloured. An example undoubtedly 

 bred in this country the same year (1839) and obtained near 

 Winchester at the end of March, which, through the kindness 

 of Mr. J. Leadbeater, I had the opportunity of examining, 

 confirmed what has already been stated, and there was not 

 the slightest indication as to which side either mandible 

 would hereafter have been inclined. 



The young, as seen in June and July, have the head, neck 

 and all the lower parts of the body, as in the nestling, but 

 the wings and tail are uniform dull brown. At tins age, as 

 observed by Blyth (Mag. Nat. Hist. ix. p. 635), they re- 

 semble a hen Siskin in plumage ; but the sexes, as he after- 

 wards stated (op. clt. New Ser. i. p. 451) may be distin- 

 guished by the cocks having the striations considerably more 

 distinct, and more vividly contrasted, than the hens. The 

 upper figure in the woodcut at the head of this subject repre- 

 sents a young bird. By September the young cocks have 

 lost much of the striped appearance, and at their moult 

 begin to assume the red plumage of maturity. Some do 

 this at once, and this seems to be the normal mode though 

 they do not so early develope their most brilliant hues. 

 Others, possibly of a less vigorous constitution, have the red 

 feathers mixed with yellow, or become dull orange— the effect 

 of red and yellow combined, while others again put on a 

 yellow or yellowish-green dress, and these are probably birds 

 in which development is, from some cause, still further re- 



Blyth Bays (Field-Nat. i. p. 130) he was informed by a man who saw a brood 

 taken near Sevenoaks, in Kent, that the nestlings when about half-fledged 

 " had the l>ill as much crossed as the adults." But Blyth did not assert (his 

 mi his own authority and it is clearly a mistake. The fact, very suggestive from 

 the evolutionist's point of view, tli.it the nestling's mandibles are not crossed 

 was noticed so long ag i as I 306 by Necker. 



