48 BRrriSH BIRDS. 



Throughout April and May I have seen flocks passing always 

 over the same ground covered with old Scotch firs, the direction 

 being north and south. Early in May I saw numerous single 

 birds travelling the line and assumed that they were males 

 whose wives were engaged with family duties. 



As an example of the gregarious nature of Crossbills I 

 may mention that a friend who had come from a distance 

 especially to see the birds was at first disappointed though we 

 searched all day to find them. Late in the evening we took 

 our stand close to the flighting-line and presently heard a 

 male burst into song on an oak tree only ten yards distant. 

 We watched and listened to him for some time, when he 

 suddenly ceased his lilting music and began to call loudly in 

 the usual clinking fashion. Some three other Crossbills 

 passed over at a considerable height and one, a female, made 

 a swooping descent and lighted in the oak tree close to the 

 vocalist, the others passing on. The male then commenced to 

 " sho\\'." Flying in circles and hopping actively from branch 

 to branch with lowered wings, he sang loudly in a voice both 

 high-pitched and apparently full of excitement. At each 

 circle through the branches he approached closer and closer 

 to the female, which sat in a crouching position waiting for 

 the male and uttering a low peevish note, her attitude being 

 similar to the female Greenfinch when the pair are engaged in 

 making love. During these amorous advances another 

 flock of Crossbills (eight in number) circled round and alighted 

 on a tall Scotch fir, where, after a stay of a few minutes, the 

 whole party left together, rising high in the air. 



I have not found a single nest, although I have seen a bird 

 with building materials in its mouth ; an attempt to follow it 

 resulted in failure. 



Early in May a local naturalist offered to show me a nest 

 full of young Crossbills which he desired to sell. I have no 

 doubt he had found the nest but I did not take advantage of 

 his offer. On May 18th I followed a female Crossbill with four 

 young ones which I observed for some time at a short distance, 

 and have no doubt that several pairs have bred in this neigh- 

 bourhood. J. G. MiLLAIS. 



Some of the Crossbills nesting in Sussex this year have proved 

 to be genuinely double-brooded, while I have some grounds 

 for believing that some pairs are now rearing their third 

 family. All the books tell you that the species is single- 

 brooded. Yet, even in the bird's normal nesting-haunts in 

 Scotland and Ireland, I believe that this would be found not 



