122 



THE BIRDS OF ESSEX. 



and looking np he beheld an incredible number of small birds flying abreast, in 

 a line, as far as the eye could distinguish them and three or four yards deep. 

 Their direction was towards the south-east, the wind favouring them : their 

 height only a few yards from the ground. The flock was supposed to consist 

 principally of Chaffinches, Linnets, Twites and Bramblings. None of the two 

 latter species were seen in the neighbourhood after that time, and there is on 

 these shores in the winter season an immense quantity of Linnets — more than 

 can be bred in the neighbourhood." 



Round Harwich, it is " very common in winter '' (Kerry). Mr. Smee says (34. 

 2605) that, although in " some winters they rise from the saltings in tens of 

 thousands," they were "scarce" in the winter of 1870-71. Edward Doubleday 

 includes it (15) in his list of birds which have occurred in the vicinity of 

 Epping, and English calls it (43. i. 24) an " occasional visitor," while King 

 says (20) that it "frequently appears in small flocks in the winter" in the 

 neighbourhood of Sudbury, but it is not frequent in the inland parts of the 

 county, though Mr. Travis has two alive, caught close to the town, in Oct., 1888. 

 At Danbury, Mr. Smoothy says it is common in the winter, and is taken by 

 bird-catchers with Linnets. 



Bullfinch : Fyrrlnila europcBa, 



A fairly-common resident throughout the county, though most 

 often seen during winter, when it is often very destructive to the buds 



of fruit-trees. I 

 believe it has be- 

 come commoner 

 of late years. 



Mr. Clarke des- 

 cribes it (24) as 

 " very common " 

 round Saffron Wal- 

 den. He mentions 

 " a very singular 

 one — half one, and 

 half the other, sex." 

 It is " frequent " in 

 and around Epping 

 Forest( Buxton — 47. 

 88). King speaks 

 of it (20) as "com- 

 mon " at Sudbury, 

 and Mr. Grubb says 

 (39) that to his 



garden tl ere it " comes in numbers in early spring, to the destruction of the goose- 

 berry buds." At Harwich, it is very common, and breeds (Kerry). Mr. J. H. 

 Hills of Peering has a pure white specimen shot by himself at Litile Tey in 

 October, 1874. Mr. Alfred Fitch of Sible Hedingham has a male stuffed which 

 became quite black in confinement through being fed on hemp seed. Many simi- 

 lar cases have been reported. 



BULLFINCHES 



Crossbill : Loxia airvirostra. 

 An irregular and uncertain visitor, 



chiefly between midsummer 



