The Crossbill at Ballyhyland, County Wexford. 209 



again the Larches were unproductive, and by July the Crossbills 

 had left us, not to appear certainly earlier than June, 1894. 

 This summer we have again a rich abundance of Larch-cones, 

 and here we have again the Crossbills feasting upon them, in 

 greater numbers than ever. 



Thus the experience of five seasons tends strongly to con- 

 firm the view that the Crossbill's migratory movements are 

 determined by local variations in the supply of its favourite 

 diet. The cones of Pinus sylvestris (the Scotch Fir) have been 

 plentiful every year at Ballyhyland during the period under 

 notice. Hence it is clear that the Crossbill (whose Scandi- 

 navian kinsmen have to subsist mainly on cones of this pine) 

 was not seriously pressed for food, but was merely gratifying 

 a preference in quitting our woods in 1891 and 1893 for other 

 haunts, where he may have found Larch-cones in sufficient 

 abundance for his liking. 



So full an account of this bird's habits has already been 

 given in the pages of the Irish Naturalist (vol. L, p. 8., &c), 

 by Mr. R. J. Ussher that I am reluctant to occupy space with 

 further details. But I subjoin a few observations with re- 

 ference to its feeding habits, because these afford much the 

 readiest indications of the bird's presence in any given locality, 

 and because I have reason to think the Crossbill, in spite of 

 its brilliant plumage, tame character, and noisy manner during 

 flight, is still a bird which very commonly eludes observa- 

 tion, even in districts where its stay has been more or less 

 protracted. 



The crackling noise which Crossbills make in the trees 

 when a number of them are feeding is frequently alluded to, 

 but it should be added that this is audible as a rule only in 

 winter, when the cone-scales are crisp ; and during the 

 summer months any person unaccustomed to distinguish 

 birds by their call-notes is likely to overlook the presence of 

 even a considerable number of Crossbills, unless he observes 

 and guesses at the meaning of the litter of cones under their 

 feeding-trees, — an unfailing clue, when once understood. 



The only other common denizens of our woods which 

 habitually wrench off entire cones before proceeding to ex- 

 tract their seed are the Rook and the Squirrel, both of which 

 act quite differently from the Crossbill, as well as from one 

 another. The Rook carries off the green cones of the Scotch 



