1 12 Notice of the Arrival of some of the Winter Birds 



quill feathers, and one of the secondaries on each, were tipped 

 on the outer margin with a fine yellow: on dissection this 

 "proved to be a female. On the same day a flock of five or six 

 of these birds were seen feeding on the fruit of the hawthorn, 

 near Blackwell, a mile and a half from Carlisle. Two of them 

 were shot, and sent to me ; one had seven red appendages on 

 the right wing, and six on the left; the other had six on each 

 wing : only four of the quill feathers had yellow tips, and the 

 yellow in both was much jialer than in the last. They both 

 proved to be males. On the fourteenth of February 1787, Mr. 

 Harrison of Penrith sent me another, which was killed near 

 Temple- Sowerby. On each wing were seven appendages, 

 much larger than in the former. Five of the quill feathers, 

 and one of the secondaries in each wing (as was the case of 

 the female sent by Mr. Story), were tipped with yellow : the 

 appendages were much larger than in the four preceding speci- 

 mens, and the four nearest the body were the largest : this bird 

 was a male. On the twenty-second of March, in the same 

 year, I received another, which was killed at Ravensworth, and 

 sent to me by Sir Henry Liddell, bart. ; on the right wing 

 there were eight, on the left seven appendages, which were 

 large. The two extreme ones, viz. the nearest and furthest 

 from the body, were the smallest. The second, third, fourth, 

 and fifth from the body were the largest: six of the wing 

 feathers were tipped with yellow. In this bird all the tail 

 feathers had also horny appendages at the ends of the shafts, 

 which however wtre much smaller than those in the wings. 

 The person by whom it was sent neglected to deliver it for 

 near three weeks, by which the intestines, &c. were become so 

 putrid that I could not, after the most accurate examination, 

 ascertain whether it was male or female. The red appendages 

 and yellow tips on the wirigs do therefore not depend upon 

 the sex, but most probably on the age of the bird : and the 

 sex, I am persuaded, can only be ascertained by dissection." 



I have been given to understand that a second specimen, 

 with waxen appendages attached to the end of the tail feathers, 

 is in the collection of A. H. Haworth, Esq. F.L.S. &c. of Chel- 

 sea, the learned a.\xx\\oY o'lihe Lepidopte7a Britannica, &;c.&c. 



Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra). — A flock of these birds were 

 seen near Cumwhitton, the last week in November, several of 

 which were killed. The Crossbill very rarely occurs in this 

 part of the county, and is the only instance of its having been 

 met with in this vicinity ibr very many years. From the num- 

 ber of specimens said to have been killed in various parts 

 during the present winter, it must have visited the northern 

 counties in considerable numbers. 



SnoiK 



