A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



sands put in at Portscatho. A winter visitor at Scilly, 

 occasionally, as in 1849, 1894, and 1904, in large 

 flocks. 



66. Hawfinch. Coccothraustes vulgaris, Pallas. 



A scarce but regular winter visitor, evidently in- 

 creasing in numbers in the middle of the county ; 

 was common at Boconnoc during the winter of 

 19012 ; has nested at least once, near Launceston. 

 An occasional visitor at Tresco in spring and autumn, 

 in immature plumage. 



67. Goldfinch. Carduetis clegans, Stephens. 



Resident ; but nowhere common, and in some 

 districts becoming very scarce. The numbers seem to 

 be reinforced on thistle ground in the early autumn, 

 and in March small flocks arrive on the south coast, 

 and occasionally travel inland without dispersing. 

 Towards the end of March, 1 900, fifty birds, evidently 

 all males, were seen at Tolcarne. Appears at Scilly 

 in family parties in autumn and winter. 



68. Siskin. CarJuelis spinus (Linn.). 



A regular winter visitor to the Lostwithiel district, 

 sometimes in large numbers, arriving in October and 

 staying till March, latest date the 2 ;th of that month ; 

 a frequent winter casual in the rest of the county. 

 Seen occasionally at Tresco during the autumn and 

 winter. In January, 1904, five spent some days 

 among the Pinus lambertianus on the Abbey drive. 



69. House Sparrow. Passer domesticus (Linn.). 



Resident ; extremely abundant and generally dis- 

 tributed wherever human habitations are to be found, 

 except in some of the valleys among the Bodmin 

 moors, where it is decidedly scarce. In July, 1903, 

 it was common on Samson. 



70. Tree-Sparrow. Passer montanus (Linn.). 



A casual winter visitor, rarely recorded but possibly 

 overlooked. The last two birds shot in the county 

 were, at Scorrier in the autumn of 1897, and near 

 Pencalenick in November, 1904. In the list of 

 Scilly birds at the end of Rodd's Birds of Cornwall this 

 species is said to be occasionally met with, but no 

 authentic specimen or definite record can be found. 



71. Chaffinch. Fringilla coelebs, Linn. 



Locally, Fink, Copperfink, White Finch (fe- 

 male). 



Resident ; very abundant and generally distributed 

 except about Newquay, where it is not common. 

 Large flocks occasionally seen in autumn, winter, and 

 spring. Occasionally, as in March, 1 904, large flocks, 

 usually of females, visit Scilly. 



72. Brambling. Fringifla montifringilla, Linn. 



A winter visitor chiefly recorded from the southern 

 half of the county, usually rare, but in some seasons 

 remarkably abundant, as in March, 1858, the winters 

 of 1859-60 and 1890-1, and in October, 1902. 



73- Linnet. Linota cannabina (Linn.). 



Resident ; common and generally distributed ; large 

 flocks about Falmouth and the Lizard in autumn and 

 winter. Occurs at Scilly in large flocks often mixed 

 with chaffinches in autumn and spring, and irregularly 

 during the winter. In 1903 nests were found on 

 Garrison Hill, St. Mary's, and on St. Martin's. 



74. Mealy Redpoll. Linota linaria (Linn.). 



A casual visitor represented by an adult male shot 

 many years ago at Carrythenick, and one in imma- 

 ture plumage near Feock on 19 December, 1903. 



75. Lesser Redpoll. Linota rubescens (Vieillot). 



A casual winter visitor from the north ; often 

 caught with siskins at Lostwithiel, with linnets at 

 Penzance, and occasionally shot singly at Stratton and 

 elsewhere. 



76. Twite. Linota flavinstris (Linn.). 



A rare casual winter visitor. One shot at Pen- 

 zance over thirty years ago. After the cold stormy 

 weather of March, 1901, seven birds were seen at 

 Cardinham and two shot. One was killed at Lost- 

 withiel towards the end of November, 1904. 



77. Bullfinch. Pyrrhula europaea, Vieillot. 



Locally, Hoop, Hope, Bud-picker. 

 Resident ; locally distributed throughout the county, 

 and in some places fairly numerous ; formerly common 

 in the Penzance district, but has been almost exter- 

 minated by the market-gardeners. It does not appear 

 to have visited Scilly till the last few years. In the 

 spring of 1903 it was plentiful on St. Mary's, Samson, 

 and Bryher, and in April, 1904, a flock of about 

 twenty spent several days in the churchyard at Old 

 Town. 



[Pine Grosbeak. Pyrrhula enucleator (Linn.). 



In a letter to E. H. Rodd, dated 29 March, 1877, 

 Alan Furneaux, of St. Germans, writes, ' I observed 

 [on 8 November, 1868] a pair of strange finches 

 feeding on the cones of an arbor vitae not five yards 

 from a window in this house. I had time to view 

 them with the aid of a binocular. The back of the 

 male was bright crimson, and to the best of my 

 recollection relieved with dusky spots. The man- 

 dibles were short and blunt, but to my view ended 

 in a distinct point and did not cross. On comparing 

 the bird with the plate [of the pine grosbeak] in 

 Mr. Morris's work I felt no doubt.' '] 



78. Crossbill. Loxia curvinstra, Linn. 



A fairly common casual visitor of irregular occur- 

 rence ; on several occasions seen in flocks, those of 

 August and September, 1898, being fairly well dis- 

 tributed throughout the county. 



79. Two-barred Crossbill. Loxia bifasciata (Brehm). 

 A single specimen of this accidental straggler was 



shot at Lariggan a few years prior to 1843, when it 

 was seen and identified by E. H. Rodd. 



80. Corn-Bunting. Emberiza miliaria, Linn. 



Locally, Horse lark, Bunting lark. 



Resident ; scarce in the east of the county, but 

 common along the north coast and at the Lizard and 

 in the Falmouth and Truro districts, where it has 

 a strong partiality for telegraph wires. Also a resident 

 at Scilly, but most abundant in flocks late in the 

 autumn. 



Emberiza cttrlnella, Linn. 



8 1. Yellow Hammer. 

 Locally, Gladdie. 



Resident ; a common hedgerow bird throughout 

 Very rare at Scilly ; Pechell shot one in 

 of 1849, an ^ saw another some years 



the county, 

 the autumn 

 later. 



1 See also J. H. Gurney in the Zoologist for 1877, p. Z48 



334 



