122 BRITISH BIRDS. 



CROSSBILL IRRUPTION. 



Scotland. — In March and April, 1910, there was a marked 

 increase of Crossbills in the neighbourhood of Meikleour 

 (Perthshire), although Crossbills [probably of the 

 Scottish race] are generally present there (Duchess of 

 Bedford, A7in. S.N.H., 1910, p. 181). A party of 

 seven seen on December 15th, 1909, in the Sinclair 

 Hills (north-east coast) (W. Stewart-Menzies, t.c, p. 182). 



INCREASE OF THE STARLING IN CORNWALL. 



The Starling {Sturnus vulgaris) has been increasing in the 

 Penzance district for many years, though, contrary to what 

 I have seen stated, it bred here at least fifteen years ago, and 

 has done so in increasing numbers ever since. 



This year there have been many nests in the town itself, and 

 its habit of blocking up water-pipes will doubtless soon make 

 it what Carew terms " an over-familiar harm." 



A. W. H. Harvey. 



ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARDS IN SUSSEX AND 

 BERKSHIRE. 



On March 20tli, 1910, while walking on the dowTis between 

 Falmer and Lewes with my two daughters and my friend 

 Captain Copp, I saw a Rough-legged Buzzard {Buteo lagopus) 

 circling round ; after observing it for some time it settled 

 in some high thorn bushes about two or three hundred yards 

 from where we were standing. On getting up again it was 

 joined by a second bird, which, after circling round with the 

 original bird for a very short time, flew away in the direction 

 of Stanmer Park. The first, after flying round again, settled 

 on a small tree farther away than its first resting-place. I was 

 particularly struck by the first bird's extremely white head ; 

 it was, I think, a female, as the second bird seemed slightly 

 smaller. This bkd was observed by several people during 

 a long stay — some weeks, I believe, but I cannot find anyone 

 who saw the two, except my own party. I went over the same 

 ground five or six times within a short time, but saw nothing 

 of the birds. Curiously enough, on going down to examine 

 the ground over which the birds had been flying I found a 

 breast-feather, and exactly a month later, about a couple of 

 miles from the original place, I picked up a second feather, 

 apparently recently dropped. I did not report the appearance 

 of these birds at the time, as I thought there might be a very 

 remote chance of their staying to breed. It seems curious 



