TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL. 



LOXIA BIFASCIATA (C. L. Breton). 



Crucirostra bifasciata, C. L. Brehm, Ornis, iii. p. 85 (1827). 

 Loxia bifasciata, Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 211; Dresser, iv. p. 141. 



Bec-croise bifascie, French. 



This is a rare straggler to our islands from the pine- 

 forests of Northern Russia and Siberia. In general 

 habits it is said to resemble the Common Crossbill, but 

 as I have no personal acquaintance with it, I must refer 

 my readers to other authors for details. At p. 195 of 

 Mr. Howard Saunders's ' Manual of British Birds' excel- 

 lent reasons may be found for not including the so-called 

 White-winged Crossbill [Loxia leucqptera) in the British 

 list. I have good reason to believe, though I have not 

 positive proof, that a few of the present species haunted 

 the comparatively few pine-groves still left in the 

 detached portions of Bournemouth during the winter of 

 1889-90. 



The principal figure in the accompanying Plate was 

 drawn from a stuffed specimen lent for the purpose 

 through the obliging kindness of Mr. John Cordeaux, 

 who informs me that it was killed in September 1889 

 in a marsh near Louth in Lincolnshire. 



