342 HRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



There is little doubt that the Continental form does visit 

 those islands, although we do not know of any actual records, 

 but presumably Mr. Clarke has seen specimens. 



CROSSBILLS BREEDING IN BEDFORDSHIRE 

 AND HAMPSHIRE. 



I HAVE to-day (March 4th, 19L3) been watching a Crossbill 

 {Loxia c. cvrvirostra) in the Woburn Woods, which is sitting 

 very closely on its nest. The nest is at the top of an old 

 stunted Scotch fir, about 35 ft. from the ground. 



After watching the bird for half an hour, a flock of six 

 Crossbills alighted on a neighbouring tree : two of them 

 were males in very red plumage. In less than a minute, one 

 of them flew down to the nest and turned the female off, 

 but she soon returned to it. Seeing that the male was one of 

 a breeding pair, it seemed to me curious that he should be 

 fi.Nang about with the flock M. Bedford. 



Two nests of Crossbills {Loxia c curvirostra) were found at 

 Beaulieu in the last week of January, 1913 — one with four 

 eggs on which the old bird was sitting, and the other m ith one 

 egg. I reported a nest from the same locality last jesiT 

 {cf. supra, p. 61). Thomas H. C. Troubridge. 



SKY-LARK AS FOSTER-PARENT OF CUCKOO. 



In the February issue (p. 278) it is said that there are very 

 few authenticated instances of the Cuckoo [Cucvlus c. canorus) 

 selecting the Sky-Lark (Alanda a. arvcnsis) as a foster-parent, 

 and I therefore give below an instance which came under my 

 notice last year. My friend Mr. Taylor, of Raphoe, 

 CO. Donegal, showed me a Sky-Lark's nest containing two 

 typical eggs and one of the Cuckoo — an undoubted egg of 

 the greenish type and perfectly distinct from those of the 

 fosterer. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented us from 

 again visiting the locahty to see if the young were successfully 

 hatched. C. V. Stoney. 



BEARDED TIT IN ESSEX. 



More than twent}^ years ago, I expressed the opinion (Birds 

 of Essex, p. 92, "^ 1890) that the Bearded Tit {Pannrus b. 

 hiarmims) still bred occasionally in the county — had continued 

 to do so, in fact, ever since the beginning of the nineteenth 

 century, when it did so not uncommonly in certain localities. 

 At the present day, I am still as unable as I \\'as then to 

 demonstrate the truth of my belief, but later occurrences 



