When first hatched the bill in young birds is straight, but it assumes its characteristic shape very soon after they are fledged. The adult male is crimson all over except the wings and tail, which are brown. The female is dark greenish yellow with striations of a darker tint. The young resemble the female but are greyer and greener. Young cocks probably do not assume their full plumage until the second or third year but they breed in their immature dress. Old cocks lose the red and become golden yellow. Length 6·5 in.; wing 3·8 in. [Illustration: CROSSBILL _Loxia curvirostra_ Male (below). Young (left). Female (above)] The bill varies considerably in this species, and many individuals, which have a very stout bill, have been considered and named as a separate species, known as the Parrot Crossbill. These stout-billed individuals are most numerous in Scandinavia and Northern Russia, though they have been also obtained in this country, and their claim to specific rank is still a debatable point. THE TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL Loxia bifasciata (C. L. Brehm) This species, whose true home is in Northern Russia and Siberia, has visited this country in small flocks on several occasions. It may easily be distinguished from the Common Crossbill by the two white wing-bars; it is also rather smaller in size. Length 6·25 in.; wing 3·7 in. THE BLACK-HEADED BUNTING Emberiza melanocephala, Scopoli The Black-headed Bunting must not be confused with the Reed Bunting, which is known in many parts of the country under the former name. The true Black-headed Bunting is an inhabitant of South-eastern Europe, but it occasionally wanders westwards and has been taken about four times in this country. The male has the head black, back brownish orange, and under parts bright lemon yellow. The female and young are yellowish brown, and the male in autumn has the bright colours obscured by rufous edgings to the feathers. Length 6·75 in.; wing 3·7 in. THE CORN BUNTING Emberiza miliaria, Linnæus One cannot well mistake this species, as he sits on the telegraph wires bordering the road, uttering times without number the long drawn-out “dzree-e-e” that serves him for a song.