20 BRITISH BIRDS. 



LATE STAY OF THE BRAMBLING. 



On April 14th, 1910, 1 saw about twenty Bramblings {Fringilla 

 montijringilla) in a flock at Basingstoke, Hampshire, while on 

 May 4th I saw two fly over. This is, I think, unusually late. 



W. S. Medlicott. 

 [This is certainly late for the south of England. I saw 

 Brambhngs in the New Forest up to April 10th. — H. F. W.] 



CROSSBILLS NESTING IN ENGLAND.* 



In Berkshire. 



Crossbills have been very numerous in the pine-woods of 

 south Berkshire. Nests I myself have seen are as follows : — 

 March 16th, nest with 3 eggs (fresh). 

 March 28th, nest with 4 eggs (fresh). 

 April 1st, nest with 3 eggs (fresh). 

 April 4th, nest with 4 eggs (slightly incubated). 

 April 12th, nest wdth 4 eggs (slightly incubated). 

 April 18th, nest with 4 eggs (slightly incubated). 

 ♦April 20th, nest with 3 eggs (much incubated). 

 In addition, I have heard of a nest of four eggs being taken, 

 also two nests with young bkds. 



Towards the end of April numerous parties of (usually) six 

 birds, young and old, were about, which apparently soon left. 

 At the time of writing, May 18th, there are still a few pairs 

 which have not quite finished nesting. 



a. s. tomlinson. 

 In Hampshire. 



Since Crossbills arrived in the New Forest district in July, 

 1909, many birds have been constantly rejDorted, and consider- 

 ing the large area of fir- woods ui, the forest and its outskirts, 

 it is most likely that a number have bred ; in the Burley 

 district Mr. Witherby records at least four broods of young 

 fledged on April 2nd (Vol. HI., p. 401). I saw pairs of 

 birds during the months of February and March, but had not 

 an opportunity to make a search for nests till April 5th, when 

 with my friend Mr. R. G. Townsend I started on an expedition 

 near the south-eastern boundary of the forest, near Sowley 

 Pond, where we met only with moderate success, finding one 

 nest. But the finding of this nest is, I think, worth record- 

 ing in detail, as my experience agrees exactly with that of 

 Mr. Gilroy and Mr. Stanford, the presence of the cock 

 bird and his behaviour leading directly to the discovery of 

 the nest. 



* For previous notes on this subject, see Vol. III. Index. 



