1376 The Zoologist — September, 1868. 



places, both in the States anil in Canada, small wooden boxes, fancifully made to 

 imitate churches, houses, &c, placed about; some iu trees, on poles and in places 

 where the little wren frequented, and it was strange how quickly a pair of these little 

 birds would take possession and rear their young in one of these fancy abodes. These 

 little birds are very strictly preserved in many parts of North America, and I am very 

 glad to find that our common sparrow's services are likely to be better appreciated in 

 America than they are in this country. — Edward Sweelapple ; Lydney, August 24, 

 1868. 



Common Crossbill in Surrey. — On Sunday, the 12th of July, my attention was 

 directed to a fine male crossbill, one of a flock which had been observed during that 

 and two previous days in the grounds of a relative. I watched the male feeding on 

 the fir-cones for some time, and, as the flock were considered to be doing mischief, the 

 order went forth for their execution. On the following day the gardener procured five, 

 viz. the old male and female, two youug males of last year, and one female of this 

 year, which, from the strength of its bill, general size and stoutness, would appear to 

 be a young parrot crossbill, supposing Loxia pityopsiltacus a good species and not 

 merely a variety of L. curvirostra. — [Signature omitted.] 



Wliitewinged Crossbill in the County Dublin. — If I have not met with the crossbill 

 in Dublin for the last five years, I have this year made a more important addition to 

 our Avifauna in its congener, the European wliitewinged or two-barred crossbill of 

 authors. This bird is apparently a female or young bird; it is dull brown, scarcely 

 tinted with greenish yellow, having conspicuous white tips to the wing-coverts forming 

 the two broad distinctive white bars across the wing. I have saved the bird beautifully, 

 and preserved it in my collection. — //. Blake- Knox. 



Crossbill at Wingham. — On the 27th of July I heard crossbills as I was walking 

 in the grounds close to my house, and almost immediately I saw a splendid old male 

 with a female on a Lebanon cedar some twenty yards from me. The male bird shone 

 like scarlet coral iu the sun, as he swayed to and fro on the extremities of the branches. 

 They seemed restless, and soon went ofif to an old larch, which they left again, and 

 I lost them. Having never before seen crossbills iu the summer, I strongly suspected 

 they had been breeding here. This morning I have just learned that some masons, 

 who are at work about my house, picked up a young crossbill at the edge of a pond 

 where they were mixing their mortar: the bird was covered with mud and half-drowned. 

 It lived one day, and then died. It was seen by my gardener and also by my game- 

 keeper, to whom the men showed it. I think this is conclusive as to the fact that the 

 crossbill occasionally bretds iu this country. — W. Oxenden Hammond; St. Albans 

 Court, Wingham, Kent, August 8, 1868. 



PS.— A closer inquiry refutes the persuasion I felt that the crossbills had bred at 

 my place. The bird caught (not the pair) was thrown away when it died ; but I have 

 seen the man who caught it, and he says it had red and green feathers. If I am right 

 in thinking that no red feathers come till the first moult, it then was not a young bird, 

 and my nesting theory fails. However, the presence of these birds in summer still 

 would lead me to suspect that it bred. — W. O. Hammond. 



Common Crossbill in Cormvall. — 1 believe I have mentioned the general distribu- 

 tion of the crossbill iu the Land's End locality — extending, in fact, to the Scilly Isles. 

 I find from correspondents that the eastern part of the county has had an immense 

 immigration of this species, and from what I have seen and heard during the past 



