231 



COMMON CROSSBILL. 

 (Crucirostra vulgaris.) 



C. corpore versicolore, remigibas rectricibusque fuscis, oris exte- 



rioribus viridi olivaceis, cauda furcata. 

 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. Rati. Syn. 86. A. — Briss. 3. 329. t. \y.f 3. 

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



Enl. 218. 



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

 Edwards. 303. — Lath. Gen. Syn. 3. 106. 1. — Bexvick. 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 



