126 THE BIRDS OF ESSEX. 



Parrot Crossbill : Loxia cicrvirostra-pityopsittacus. 



Of this very rare Scandinavian and North European form of the 

 Common Crossbill, no less than nine specimens have been obtained 

 in Essex — more, I believe, than have been met with in any other 

 county, except Devonshire. Although formerly separated from the 

 Common Crossbill, from which it differs in its varying size and larger 

 bill, the best authorities are now agreed in regarding it as a local 

 race or sub-species merely. 



Mr. Joseph Clarke relates (24) that a pair formerly in the Museum at Saffron 

 Walden, were shot in a garden in that town about the year 1823. They were 

 stuffed by Travis — so he informs me. Yarrell says (25. ii. 25), " Mr. Blyih has 

 recorded one instance of its being shot in Surrey and a second instance of its 

 being obtained in the autumn of 1835, in Epping Forest."* 



Doubleday says (23. 7759) • 



" Three specimens of the Parrot Crossbill were killed yesterday [September 

 20th, 1861], at one shot, by a boy at Lambourne, about four miles from Epping 

 — a male in fine red plumage, another male in yellow plumage, and a female. 

 This is the first occurrence of this species in this neighbourhood, so far as I am 

 aware.j The Common and White-winged Crossbill I have shot here," 



At his sale in 1871, two of these Parrot Crossbills, with a couple of Quails 

 were sold for 33s. to Mr. Smee. Dr. Bree writes (23. 8032) : 



"Three specimens were brought to me in the flesh on the 21st of February 

 last [1862]. They were one male and two females, and were killed on the Lex- 

 den or London Road, just south of this town. * * * Their crops contained the 

 seeds of what I believed to be the Scotch fir. * * » I have heard of one other speci- 

 men having been shot, which, from its size, I should infer was this species.* * * 

 My specimens are rather larger than those from Sweden." 



These three specimens, two in greenish-brown, and one in red plumage, are 

 still in the Bree Collection in Mr. Harwood's possession. 



Two-barred Crossbill : Loxia bifasciata. 

 An exceedingly rare British bird, of which a couple of specimens 

 only are known to have been met with in Essex. 



Yarrell says (14. suppt. ii. 20) that Henry Doubleday had favoured him with 

 the loan of a young bird, "shot by himself in his own garden at Epping." This 

 must have been between 1843, when the 2nd vol. of Yarrell's ist. ed. was 

 issued, without mention of this specimen, and 1856, when the 2nd supplement 

 appeared. In his subsequent edition he sa3's (50. ii. 31) Doubleday lent him 

 three specimens ; "one shot by himself in his garden at Epping — a j'oung bird." 

 Harting (38. 1 16) and others seem to accept this record without question, but 

 Professor Newton appears to doubt it, for he sa3's (37. ii. 213), "Somewhere 

 about the same time [1846], it is believed Doubleday shot a young bird in his 

 own garden at Epping." There does not seem to be any real ground for doubt- 

 ing this record, for, as may be seen above, Doubleday himself, in recording the 

 occurrence of the Parrot Crossbill at Epping (23. 7759), says, " The Common 

 and Wlnte-iiiinged Crossbill I have shot here." No reference to this interesting 

 specimen occurs (so far as Mr. Macpherson and myself have been able to dis- 

 cover) in Doubleday 's letters to He3-sham (10), which cover the above date. The 

 specimen, however, was sold at Doubleday's sale in 1871 (? to whom), with 

 seven Common Crossbills, for 36s. 



* I have been unable to find BIyth's record here referred to. 



+ Doubleday evidently had overlooked, or was not aware of, Yarrell's reference to BIyth's re- 

 cord above mentioned. 



