SUSSEX CROSSBILLS 37 



Primarily, I made the mistake during March 

 the Crossbill's great breeding-month of hunting 

 for nests in the downland plantations of fir. These 

 seemed likely enough, since not only do they stand 

 high, but are in addition wild and wind-swept 

 the sort of place, in fact, one would have pictured 

 the species patronizing for nursery-quarters down 

 south ; the birds, too, had I knew been there on 

 and off since the preceding July. No luck awaited 

 me, however, and it was not until April 9th, with 

 for a companion that superb field-naturalist, Mr. 

 Percy Smythe, who, incidentally, taught me much 

 concerning the nesting of Crossbills, that I deter- 

 mined to find out what the weald would produce, 

 though it should be noted that in two days spent 

 in seemingly suitable country round Parham and 

 Pulborough during March I had seen no sign of 

 Crossbills, except for cones which they had dealt 

 with and dropped during the foregoing months. 



Our first * ' beat ' ' was the edge (for nesting 

 Crossbills mainly affect the margin of a wood or 

 spinney, and only more so belts, rows, and 

 clumps of firs by a roadside ; the interior of woods 

 and forests they detest, save for purposes of feeding) 

 of a large wood of Scots firs part of the forest 

 of St. Leonards bordering a bye- way. We had 

 not been there long before we heard a Crossbill 

 singing. Some sixty paces ahead, following up 

 this clue, we came face to face, so to speak, with 

 the musician, gorgeous in his livery of crimson, 



