Mr. J. Lewis Bo nhote,



i 14


tear, it seems that something of the kind actually does occur,

although I have no grounds for asserting this, and would leave

the matter in more capable hands, who perhaps might be in a

position to compare the differences in the bacteria inhabiting the

alimentary canals of an apparently healthy wild and tame bird.


P.S.—Whilst sending this off the owner of the Crossbills

writes to say that four of the aviary-bred young birds seem to

have lost their instinctive tendency to migrate or roam. They

do not care to leave the trees in the garden, and when flocks of

wild Crossbills are about do not mix with them.



FURTHER NOTES ON THE CROSSBILL.



By J. Lewis Bonhote, M.A.



Although by no means rare in suitable localities in Scot¬

land and occasionally found in England in considerable numbers,

especially after an irruption from the Continent, such as the one

that took place in the autumn of 1909, this bird has had but

little written about it in the pages of our Magazine, well-known

as it must be to many of our members.


Shortly before receiving Mr. Silver’s valuable contribution

on this species, Dr. Gunther kindly sent me an old cutting from

the Inverness Courier , relating to the breeding and rearing of

Crossbills in the aviaries of a Mr. Hugh Rose. As this forms,

so far as I am aware, the first authentic instance of the success¬

ful nesting of these birds in confinement, I give the extract in

full.



Hoi.mk Ross,


I7-5-S7-


Dkak Mr. Lochabkr, —You will no doubt remember my commu¬

nicating to you last year the rare find of the nest of the Crossbill, which

you were good enough to mention in the Courier. I had the luck to catch

the two old parent birds in a trap cage by putting the young birds in the

decoy half of the cage, and they (the old birds) reared their young ones

(two in number) in the cage in which I put them ; and, with the exception

of one young bird, which unfortunately got out of the cage (through

eating the door away) and killed itself against the window, I now have

the two old birds and their young one, which I have taken great care of,

and have had them over a year; aud as they are extremely tame I thought

I would try an experience with them, and that was to see if they would



