26 



FRINGILLID.E. 



nine were killed at one shot. The Rev. William Browne, of 

 Cheani, sent me five specimens from Devizes soon after 

 Christmas last, I have had the use of a dozen in various 

 states of plumage from Mr. Joseph Clarke of Saffron Wal- 

 den, and as many from Mr. Henry Doubleday of Epping, 

 in which locality these birds have been unusually nu- 

 merous. 



The upper figure of the group at the head of this subject, 

 as before observed, represents a young bird ; the middle 

 figure is from an old male ; the lower figure is from an adult 

 female. 



Since the previous portion of this subject was written, I 

 have, by the kindness of Mr. John Leadbeater, of Brewer 

 Street, had an opportunity of examining a young Crossbill, 

 which was undoubtedly bred in this country during the 

 spring of the present year (1839), and confirms in various 

 points that which has been here detailed. This young bird 

 was brought from Hampshire at the latter end of March, and 

 was obtained within a few miles of Winchester. Its whole 

 length is only five inches ; the feathers of the wings and tail 

 not yet completed ; the former measuring but three inches 

 from the carpal joint to the end, and the tail-feathers only ex- 

 tending five-eighths of an inch beyond the ends of the upper 

 tail- coverts. This bird cannot have flown far from the nest 

 in which it was reared, and was probably hatched about the 

 beginning of March. In the colours of its plumage it very 

 closely resembles those observed on young birds of the year 

 when obtained in June, as described at page 23, — namely, 

 the head, neck, upper part of the back, the rump, and all the 

 under surface of the body, greyish white, streaked longitu- 

 dinally with dusky brown ; the feathers of the wings and 

 tail hair-brown, with narrow edges of pale brown ; the beak, 

 though rather long, has both its mandibles perfectly straight, 

 the lower one just shutting within the edges of the upper, 



