82 BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 



to go into the person's house who shot it, and his 

 children had it pla}dng with." 



I do not know that there is an}- evidence of the 

 Crossbill ever having bred in the Islands, though it 

 seems to have made its appearance there at almost 

 all times of year. Mr. MacCuUoch mentions its 

 feeding on the apple-pips, and doing damage in the 

 orchards accordingly, and I know it is generally 

 supposed to do so, and has in some places got the 

 name of " Shell Apple " in consequence, but though 

 I have several times kept Crossbills tame, and 

 frequently tried to indulge them with apples and 

 pips, I have never found them care much about 

 them ; and a note of Professor Newton's, in his 

 edition of ' Yarrell,' seems to agree with this. He 

 says : — " Of late it has not been often observed 

 feeding on apples, very possibly owing to the 

 greatly-increased growth of firs, and especially 

 larches, throughout the country. In Germany it 

 does not seem ever to have been known as attacking 

 fruit-trees.'' 



The Crossbill is included in Professor Ansted's 

 list, and onl}^ marked as occurring in Guernsey 

 and Sark. There is no specimen in the Museum. 



73. Common Starling. SturuKs ri(hi(ins, Linnaeus. 

 French, " Etourneau vulgau-e. — The Starling is 

 sometimes very numerous m the autumn, but those 

 remaining throughout the year and breeding in the 



