LETM5 



THE PLUMAGE OF THE CROSSBILL. 



To the Editors of British Birds. 



Sirs, — In the recent article (pp. 173-4) on the plumages of Crossbill, 

 yiv. Witlierby alludes to my paper on the " Plumage of the ]\Iale Cross- 

 bill " {This, 1915, pp. 602-9) and presumes that the yellow or green yellow 

 adult males examined by me were certainly tvild birds. I should have 

 thought that anyone who had carefully read my paper could not fail 

 to gather, since I made a special point of the ahnormality of the plumage 

 of captive birds, that the plumages as detailed by me loere based 

 upon wild birds. It is new to me to find one expected to say that one's 

 accounts of plumages are Ijased on wild birds (and even Mr. Witherby 

 does not appear to tliink it necessary to say so except in the case of 

 the adult Crossbill), for any conclusions based on birds in captivity are 

 well known to be valueless. I should have thought, moreo\er, that 

 evidence of subspecific rank could not be admitted on captive birds, 

 and therefore I am very surprised to find that one race {L. c. hispana) 

 was founded on five birds (including the type), all of which had been 

 in captivity ! (Hartert, Vdg. p. Fauna, p. 119). 

 Grove House, Lowestoft. Claud B. Ticehurst. 



[A yellowish plumage being normal in male Crossbills after inoulting 

 in captivity and the same plumage in wild adult males being apparently 

 quite abnoi'mal, it did not seem to me unreasonal)lc to inquire if 

 Dr. Ticehurst had made certain that tlio yellowish adult males he had 

 examined had not been in captivity. 



Although many writers on plumages have made use of captive birds 

 as a basis for their conclusions (and unfortunately still do so), I did 

 not for a moment suppose that Dr. Ticehurst had knowingly done so, 

 but skins of birds which have been in captivity often fuid their way 

 into collections and this fact is not always clearly indicated on the 

 label — H.F.W.] 



SUPPOSED EAGLE-OWL IN AYRSHIRE. 



To the Editors of British Birds. 



Sirs, — Whilst out on a high moor here yesterday with four other 

 guns for a final day at the Grouse, we were all surprised to see an 

 enormous Owl coming across the moor low towards the butts, which 

 were well hidden. It was snowing at the time and the wind was 

 blowing from the north. From where I was in a butt at the one side 

 of a small loch, the Ijird appeared to me to be the size of a Heron and 

 not a whit smaller — dark, and flying laboriously at the edge of the loch 

 — about sixty yards distant from me, Init quite close to the next butt. 



