The Oologists' Record, December i, 1922. 79 



nested between March i and 21. Early nests often appear to 

 take a very long time to construct, especially in the initial stages. 

 One may come across a pair of birds apparently feeding quietly, 

 when, quite suddenly, the hen will creep to the end of a branch, 

 clip off a dead twig with her strong bill and fly off with it, the 

 motion of her wings being extraordinarily loud and rustling. She 

 can be easily followed to the nest, and the operation watched 

 perhaps half a dozen times, when -she will just as suddenly stop 

 and do nothing more for the rest of the day. After the foundation 

 and the outer rim of dead twigs are put together, building proceeds 

 a little more quickly. Moss and grass are collected from the 

 ground, often from the same spot ; repeated journeys are made, 

 the hen being invariably accompanied by the male, who takes no 

 part, however, in the actual building of the nest. Most nests, too, 

 contain as a portion of the lining thin strips of the outer bark of 

 the elder, and it is interesting to watch the hen Crossbill peeling 

 the elder twigs with a considerable amount of care, and quite 

 oblivious even of the near presence of an intruder. Occasionally 

 feathers are added, but not many ; and the nest when complete, 

 although somewhat loosely put together, is singularly compact 

 and even imposing. The nest of the Crossbill is quite unmistakable 

 even in May, when many Greenfinches are nesting in similar 

 situations. 



To refer again to the time taken in the construction of the first 

 nest : In 1922 I found a nest absolutely ready for eggs on March i ; 

 on March 8 it had apparently been deserted, but late in the afternoon 

 I saw the hen enter it with a single feather in her bill. A fortnight 

 afterwards the eggs were laid. 



I have generally found that in East Anglia the nest of the 

 Crossbill was built at a great height from the ground, frequently 

 from 40 to 60 feet, and was often inaccessible even with ladders. 

 On the other hand, I have on many occasions found nests within 

 easy reach, even when far out on the branches. The nest is 

 usually placed on a horizontal branch, sometimes at the extreme 

 end and nearly always well away from the trunk of the tree. Some- 

 times, however, it is right against the stem, and occasionally at 

 the extreme top. As a rule it is very easy to find, the cock giving 

 away the secret either by feeding his sitting mate, by singing 

 constantly in its immediate neighbourhood, or by becoming quite 

 unnecessarily alarmed and " chipping " without reason. The nest 



A 3 



