
RAVEN WITH ONLY ONE EYE. 
In July, 1917, Mr. George Bolam sent me from Alston, 
Cumberland, a Raven (Corvus c. corax) which was moulting 
from the juvenile to the first winter plumage. The bird was 
considerably emaciated and the under mandible was twisted 
from right to left. On skinning the bird I found that the 
right orbit was contracted by the bone of the skull to about 
half its normal size : it contained no trace of an eye, and the 
skin covering this orbit was entirely closed and appeared 
never to have had an opening. The left eye was normal. 
Such a case must, I think, be rare in a wild bird, and seems » 
worth putting on record, 
Dr. N. F. Ticehurst thinks that the congenital absence 
of the eve was the cause of the contracted orbit, as there 
would be nothing to keep it expanded during ossification. 
He also suggests that unilateral vision, leading to one-sided 
movements during feeding, may have influenced the deviation 
of the bill by causing unequal development or rate of growth. 
H, F. WItTHErsy. 
CROSSBILL BREEDING IN KENT. 
On July 8th, 1917, I saw, near Hever, three young Crossbills 
(Loxia c. curvirostra) being fed by their parents. The young 
ones were quite small and could only just fly, so that they 
must have been bred in the near neighbourhood. The date 
is also exceptionally late and perhaps worthy of note. 
Kk. G. B. MeapE-WALDo. 
CROSSBILLS IN CO. ANTRIM. 
Last year I recorded Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) in County 
Antrim (Vol. X., p. 116). This year (1917) I have pleasure 
again in recording them from Fernhill, Belfast. On June 27th 
I first saw a flock of about a score feeding on the Scotch 
firs, the next day I saw them again, but this flock went 
north and was not succeeded till July 20th and this time by 
only half a dozen birds. They then stayed till July 27th and 
I have not seen any since. They were always on the Scotch 
firs and seem to have had plenty to eat. There were very 
few adult males amongst them, in fact I only saw one and that 
was in the first flock ; most of the others were young ones. 
J. CUNNINGHAM. 
