A HISTORY OF CORNWALL sands put in at Portscatho. A winter visitor at Scilly, occasionally, as in 1849, 1894, and 1904, in large flocks. 66. Hawfinch. Coccothraustes vulgaris, Pallas. A scarce but regular winter visitor, evidently in- creasing in numbers in the middle of the county ; was common at Boconnoc during the winter of 19012 ; has nested at least once, near Launceston. An occasional visitor at Tresco in spring and autumn, in immature plumage. 67. Goldfinch. Carduetis clegans, Stephens. Resident ; but nowhere common, and in some districts becoming very scarce. The numbers seem to be reinforced on thistle ground in the early autumn, and in March small flocks arrive on the south coast, and occasionally travel inland without dispersing. Towards the end of March, 1 900, fifty birds, evidently all males, were seen at Tolcarne. Appears at Scilly in family parties in autumn and winter. 68. Siskin. CarJuelis spinus (Linn.). A regular winter visitor to the Lostwithiel district, sometimes in large numbers, arriving in October and staying till March, latest date the 2 ;th of that month ; a frequent winter casual in the rest of the county. Seen occasionally at Tresco during the autumn and winter. In January, 1904, five spent some days among the Pinus lambertianus on the Abbey drive. 69. House Sparrow. Passer domesticus (Linn.). Resident ; extremely abundant and generally dis- tributed wherever human habitations are to be found, except in some of the valleys among the Bodmin moors, where it is decidedly scarce. In July, 1903, it was common on Samson. 70. Tree-Sparrow. Passer montanus (Linn.). A casual winter visitor, rarely recorded but possibly overlooked. The last two birds shot in the county were, at Scorrier in the autumn of 1897, and near Pencalenick in November, 1904. In the list of Scilly birds at the end of Rodd's Birds of Cornwall this species is said to be occasionally met with, but no authentic specimen or definite record can be found. 71. Chaffinch. Fringilla coelebs, Linn. Locally, Fink, Copperfink, White Finch (fe- male). Resident ; very abundant and generally distributed except about Newquay, where it is not common. Large flocks occasionally seen in autumn, winter, and spring. Occasionally, as in March, 1 904, large flocks, usually of females, visit Scilly. 72. Brambling. Fringifla montifringilla, Linn. A winter visitor chiefly recorded from the southern half of the county, usually rare, but in some seasons remarkably abundant, as in March, 1858, the winters of 1859-60 and 1890-1, and in October, 1902. 73- Linnet. Linota cannabina (Linn.). Resident ; common and generally distributed ; large flocks about Falmouth and the Lizard in autumn and winter. Occurs at Scilly in large flocks often mixed with chaffinches in autumn and spring, and irregularly during the winter. In 1903 nests were found on Garrison Hill, St. Mary's, and on St. Martin's. 74. Mealy Redpoll. Linota linaria (Linn.). A casual visitor represented by an adult male shot many years ago at Carrythenick, and one in imma- ture plumage near Feock on 19 December, 1903. 75. Lesser Redpoll. Linota rubescens (Vieillot). A casual winter visitor from the north ; often caught with siskins at Lostwithiel, with linnets at Penzance, and occasionally shot singly at Stratton and elsewhere. 76. Twite. Linota flavinstris (Linn.). A rare casual winter visitor. One shot at Pen- zance over thirty years ago. After the cold stormy weather of March, 1901, seven birds were seen at Cardinham and two shot. One was killed at Lost- withiel towards the end of November, 1904. 77. Bullfinch. Pyrrhula europaea, Vieillot. Locally, Hoop, Hope, Bud-picker. Resident ; locally distributed throughout the county, and in some places fairly numerous ; formerly common in the Penzance district, but has been almost exter- minated by the market-gardeners. It does not appear to have visited Scilly till the last few years. In the spring of 1903 it was plentiful on St. Mary's, Samson, and Bryher, and in April, 1904, a flock of about twenty spent several days in the churchyard at Old Town. [Pine Grosbeak. Pyrrhula enucleator (Linn.). In a letter to E. H. Rodd, dated 29 March, 1877, Alan Furneaux, of St. Germans, writes, ' I observed [on 8 November, 1868] a pair of strange finches feeding on the cones of an arbor vitae not five yards from a window in this house. I had time to view them with the aid of a binocular. The back of the male was bright crimson, and to the best of my recollection relieved with dusky spots. The man- dibles were short and blunt, but to my view ended in a distinct point and did not cross. On comparing the bird with the plate [of the pine grosbeak] in Mr. Morris's work I felt no doubt.' '] 78. Crossbill. Loxia curvinstra, Linn. A fairly common casual visitor of irregular occur- rence ; on several occasions seen in flocks, those of August and September, 1898, being fairly well dis- tributed throughout the county. 79. Two-barred Crossbill. Loxia bifasciata (Brehm). A single specimen of this accidental straggler was shot at Lariggan a few years prior to 1843, when it was seen and identified by E. H. Rodd. 80. Corn-Bunting. Emberiza miliaria, Linn. Locally, Horse lark, Bunting lark. Resident ; scarce in the east of the county, but common along the north coast and at the Lizard and in the Falmouth and Truro districts, where it has a strong partiality for telegraph wires. Also a resident at Scilly, but most abundant in flocks late in the autumn. Emberiza cttrlnella, Linn. 8 1. Yellow Hammer. Locally, Gladdie. Resident ; a common hedgerow bird throughout Very rare at Scilly ; Pechell shot one in of 1849, an ^ saw another some years the county, the autumn later. 1 See also J. H. Gurney in the Zoologist for 1877, p. Z48 334
