276 FRINGlLLIDiE. 



pleton, Esq., is the following note : — "December the 20th, 1819. 

 Yesterday heard from Mr. Montgomery of Belfast [a discrimi- 

 nating ornithologist], that Mr. Bradford had received a specimen 

 of the Loxia Enucleator which was shot at the Cave-hill [vicinity 

 of Belfast], and on showing the figure in the Naturalist's Miscel- 

 lany, he recognised it to be the bird " 



This species is an extremely rare visitant to Great Britain, but 

 has been met with both in England and Scotland. 



THE CROSSBILL. 



Loxia curvirostra, Linn. 



Has long been known as an occasional visitant to Ireland : 

 — it has bred here of late years. 



As much popular interest attaches to this bird, on account of the 

 remarkable form of its bill, and the imagined rarity of its occur- 

 rence, I shall give particular notes on the subject. 



In Harris's History of the County of Down (1744), it is re- 

 marked of crossbills, that " many of them were seen at Warings- 

 town in 1707." Smith, in his History of Cork (1749), observes, 

 that ' ' these birds have been seen in this county, but are rare." 

 Rutty, in his Natural History of Dublin (1772), says of the 

 crossbill : — " It has been seen at Ireland's Eye, and we have had 

 several flights of them to the counties of Wicklow and Dublin, 

 particularly in 1714." In the Memoirs and Correspondence of the 

 late Sir J. E. Smith, we find the following passage, in a letter 

 from Mr. Caldwell, dated Dublin, Feb. 3rd, 1802 :— "The winter 

 here has been severe. * * * Vast flights of crossbills, Loxia 

 eurvirostra, I believe, made their appearance the latter end of 

 August, and staid till the beginning of October. They made 

 great havoc in the orchards ; they never ate the apple, but cut it 

 to pieces, and picked out the pippins. They came first over to 

 the county of Cork, then proceeded to Waterford, Tipperary, 

 Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, and Dublin, but no further north. 

 * * * They were observed here, I am told, before the hard 



