54 TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL. 



Besides the ordinary species, of which the 

 common Crossbill is the type, there are two 

 species of White-winged Crossbills, both of which 

 have occurred in England. They differ from the 

 ordinary type in having a double bar of white 

 across the wing; hence the name of "Two- 

 barred " or " White-winged" Crossbills. Both of 

 these are distinguished from the ordinary forms 

 by a slightly richer coloring, in addition to the 

 bars on the wing. The European species 

 {Loxia hifasciata) occurs accidentally in Eng- 

 land, but has occasionally visited us in some 

 numbers. Its true home is in Northern Russia 

 and Siberia, and in North America it is repre- 

 sented by a closely allied form, which only differs 

 from its European relative in having the scapulars 

 slightly darker, so that it is extremely doubtful if 

 there is any real distinction to be found between 

 the European and American birds. The latter 

 have also been recorded as British. 



As might be expected, there is no difference in 

 the habits of the Two-barred and the Common 

 Crossbills, but the former seem to have a slightly 

 more northern breeding-range, both in the Old 

 and the New Worlds. They are all very early 



