COMMON CROSSBILL. 3 



the same appearance in females killed early in August. 

 Small flocks, including young birds, were seen in Dumfries- 

 shire in June 1833 or '34. Mr. Heysham says there were 

 flocks of Crossbills about Carlisle in June 1837 ; and twenty 

 were killed by one person in Hampshire during the first 

 week of August 1838. These summer flocks are ascer- 

 tained to be family parties, composed of the parent birds 

 and young ones of the year ; the old birds are undergoing 

 the usual moult, which commences almost immediately 

 after incubation ; the young birds of the year are in their 

 nestling plumage, and do not complete their first moult or 

 change till October, and sometimes still later. 



The visits of this singular species to our shores happen 

 at irregular periods, sometimes with intervals of many 

 years ; and some curious records of the appearance of large 

 flocks in 1254 and in 1593 are still preserved. I have been 

 favoured by the Rev. L. B. Larking of Ryarsh Vicarage, 

 near Maidstone, with a copy from an old MS., which 

 refers to this subject in the following terms: "That 

 the yeere 1593 was a greate and exceeding yeere of apples ; 

 and there were greate plenty of strang birds, that shewed 

 themselves at the time the apples were full rype, who fedde 

 uppon the kernells onely of those apples, and haveinge a 

 bill with one beake wrythinge over the other, which would 

 presently bore a greate hole in the apple, and make way 

 to the kernells; they were of the bignesse of a Bull- 

 finch, the henne right like the henne of the Bullfinch in 

 coulour ; the cocke a very glorious bird, in a manner al 

 redde or yellowe on the brest, backe, and head. The 

 oldest man living never heard or reade of any such like 

 bird ; and the thinge most to bee noted was, that it seemed 

 they came out of some country not inhabited ; for that 

 they at the first would abide shooting at them, either with 



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