231 



COMMON CROSSBILL. 

 (Crucirostra vulgaris.) 



C. corf ore versicolore, remigibus rectricibasque Juscis, oris exte- 



rioribus viridi olivaceis, caudajurcata. 

 Crossbill with a variable red body; quills and tail-feathers 



brown ; beak externally olive-green ; tail forked. 

 Loxia curvirostra. Lin. Syst. Nat. 1. 299. 1. — Lin. Faun. Suec. 



224. — Gmel. Syst. Nat. 1. 843.— Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. 370. 1. 

 Loxia. Raii. Syn. 86. A. — Briss. 3. 32Q. t. \*J.f. 3. 

 Le Bee croise. Buff. Hist. Nat. Ois. 3. 449. 27. f. 2. — Buff. PI. 



Enl. 218. 

 Crossbill. Pen. Brit. Zool. 1. 115. 49. — Pen. Arct. Zool. 2. 208. 



Edtvards. 303. — Lath. Gen. Syn. 3. 106. 1. — Bexmck. Brit. 



Birds. 1. 130. — Mont. Brit. Birds. 1. — Don. Brit. Birds. 2. 



39. 



The male of this bird varies from a beautiful red 

 to orange colour on the head, neck, breast, back, 

 and rump : the wing-coverts rufous brown : quills 

 and tail dusky: vent nearly white: under tail- 

 coverts dusky spotted : tail forked : legs short : 

 claws strong : female in general of a dull olive- 

 green on those parts that are red in the male : 

 back varied with dusky ; wings and tail similar 

 to the male, but not so dark : the mandibles are 

 not always crossed on one side. 



This species is a regular inhabitant of Sweden, 

 Germany, and many other parts of Europe, where 

 it breeds ; and migrates occasionally in vast flocks 

 into the other parts : it is never known to breed in 

 this country, but sometimes appears in immense 

 numbers, fixing on those spots that abound with 



