CHAPTER III. 



SUSSEX CROSSBILLS. 



THE period embraced between the late summer of 

 1909 and the early part of that of 1910 will long be 

 remembered in ornithological circles as one famous 

 for the immense numbers of Crossbills* which for 

 that time took up their residence in Britain, when, 

 it is safe to say, there was scarce a county through- 

 out the United Kingdom, parts of which at least 

 were not temporarily favoured far more than their 

 wont, even for winter by assemblies of these 

 erratically behaved birds. Moreover, a good many 

 nested in districts where, normally, a Crossbill's 

 nest is accounted a great rarity. In this connexion, 

 it is as well to remember that this species' normal 

 and regular breeding-haunts in Britain comprise 

 certain areas of Scotland and Ireland, although it 

 it true that odd nests have periodically been reported 

 from many English counties, while there is no doubt 

 at all that there exist some few spots in England 

 where a small percentage of Crossbills breed 

 annually as in portions of Norfolk, Suffolk, and 

 Hampshire. It is worthy of remark that, during 

 this 1909-10 invasion, the majority of the nests 



* Loxia curvirostra L. 



