FRINGILLIDM— CROSSBILL. 



123 



and the end of winter, though it has bred in Essex on more than one 

 occasion. In some years it appears in 

 considerable abundance. Thus, in 1835- 

 36, it was abundant round Saffron Wal- 

 den, and in 1838-39 it abounded at 

 Epping, but only limited numbers have 

 been since observed. It certainly 

 bred at Epping at the time named, if not 

 at Saffron Walden, but Doubleday's re- 

 cord, though noticed by More {t^t^. 131), 

 Harting(38. 29), and Newman {Alontagii's 

 Dictionary, p. 37), has been overlooked 

 by Yarrell, Seebohm and other writers. Of 

 late years, the bird has been singularly 

 rare, though a few have been observed 

 from time to time. Yarrell's account of this species (14. ii. 15) was 

 largely compiled from information supplied by Messrs. Clarke and 

 Doubleday, and his figure was drawn from specimens shot at Saffron 

 Walden by Mr. Clarke and still in his possession there, where he has 

 often shown them to me. Doubleday also lent Yarrell about a 

 dozen specimens for the same purpose (14. ii. 26). 



Mr. Hoy, writing at Stoke Nay land, which, though actually in Suffolk, 

 adjoins Essex, says (18. i. 117) : 



" The Common Crossbill was rather numerous in some localities in this dis- 

 trict during the last year [1836]. I first observed them about the 20th of July, 

 183;, and in the month of August we had a large flock in some fir-plantations in 

 this neighbourhood.* * » They remained with us through the autumn and winter 

 months. I did not observe any after March, but in the beginning of the month 

 of June following a flock of fifteen or twenty were noticed in the same planta- 



COiMMON CROSSBILL, 



Mr. Joseph Clarke writes (18. i. 164) : 



" During the latter end of the month of June, 1835, a flight of these singular 

 birds was observed in and about the plantations at Saffron Walden and the ad- 

 joining villages, several of which were procured during that and the following 

 months in their different stages of plumage." 



After a discourse upon the varying colours of their plumage Mr, Clarke con- 

 tinues : 



"The mandibles of these birds are indiscriminately crossed, though in by far 

 the greater proportion of those that came into my hands the upper crossed the 

 lower one to the right. Only three out of twenty-seven that 1 examir.ed wtre 

 crossed to the left. These busy strangers with their incessant twittering were 

 continually seen flying from tree to tree, curiously examining every fir apple and 

 with one of their strong feet grasping the twig and the other the fruit of the fir, 

 sometimes in a horizontal, sometimes in a vertical position, turning up and down 

 with as much facility as if on a pivot, swaying their bodies to and fro in almost 

 every possible attitude, breaking with their strong crossed and admirably adapted 

 bills the scaly case and extracting the seed from every cone. * « * They seemed 

 totally unused to the busy haunts of men, and had not yet learned to fear the 

 approach of an enemy. So tame were they, as to be but little alarmed at the re- 



