124 



BIRDS. 



[Pinicola enucleator {L.). Pine-Grosbeak. 



Rare visitant, or doubtful. 



Col. Druiiimond Hay believed he saw one near Dunkeld (writing in 1880) ; 

 but Horn says, " Hitherto unrecorded," and quotes from Harting's Hand List, 

 1st edition, p. 114 (see also 2nd edition, where the statement is repeated 

 but without square brackets). But Col. Drummond Hay cannot adopt the 

 stuteinent himself on sight only (see Horn, Birds of Nortli-West Perthshire, and 

 also Scot. Nat., 1879-80, p. 248). Don's Grosbeaks were probably Crossbills, 

 though Mr. Robert Grey appears to accept that record on Don's authority 

 {v. Birds of the West of Scotland, p. 105). Don calls them Pine- Cross- 

 beaks."] 



Loxia pityopslttacus, Bechst. Parrot-Crossbill. 



So far as known or recorded — rare. But I believe will prove to be a 

 good deal commoner than has as yet been discovered. Has been 

 known to breed in at least one instance, so far as the obtaining of 

 old and young in a flock together is a record. This record stands 

 alone at the present time, but if measurements of the diameter of a 

 nest which I once possessed, and the larger measurements of one 

 clutch of five eggs as compared with several other nests and eggs 

 which I procured at the same time from the same locality in East 

 Eoss-shire — if these are of any use in diagnosis, then the probability 

 is that these birds have bred sporadically or much more numer- 

 ously in Scotland than has been before realised. I give the fact for 

 what it may be considered worth. ^ 



^ In view of the great divisions being made in this genus, I w^ould much like to 

 have the distribution of its breeding range more minutely described than I have 

 anywhere been able to find that done. Until that is done — if only in order to go to 

 an extreme opposite to that of the ''splitters" — I am inclined to believe that its dis- 

 tribution will be found to be co-existing with at least our Scottish Common Crossbill 

 {Loxia curvirostra Scotica of Hartert). I may mention here the early acceptation of 

 this bird as a good species by that very acute and critical naturalist, the late Mr. 

 Edward Blythe, who spoke wirh a very Made knowledge and extraordinarily shrewd 

 critical acumen. Nevertheless, //, does none the less seem to be desirable that its position 

 should be more minutely fixed, and its value as regards its habitat more closely defined. 

 There is surely room for some additional investigation here. I would, in fact, like to 

 know whether these large-billed birds' distribution is co-existent with, for instance, 

 our nov. sub-species Loxia curvirostra Scotica, and at the same time co-existent with 

 the true Loxia curvirostra of Linne? If that is so, which of the two is the advancing 

 and most aggressive species ? 



Since the above was written I have the following note from Millais : "The 

 large and the small and the intermediate races all occur in Perthshire, and 

 breed there (see my specimens in the Perth Museum)," — lohich I did. I can only 

 repeat what I previously told Mr. Hartert when sending him all the Scottish 



