124 BRITISH BIRDS. 



impression that most of the birds were immature, but that 

 there were some older birds among them. 



It will be noted that this was just about the date that the 

 birds were first seen in the north of Scotland. 



F. H. Carruthers Gould. 

 On July 9th several Crossbills alighted on a group of fishing- 

 boats, about twenty miles out from the Fame Islands, off the 

 coast of Northumberland. One was captured, and brought 

 alive into Dunbar, where I saw it in a cage a week later. It 

 is an adult male, and from the shape of the bill, and its 

 appearance generally, belongs, I should say, to the 

 continental form. A flock of about twenty also settled for 

 some hours the same day on a steamer off Bervie, Kincardine- 

 shire, as reported in the " Scotsman " of 15th July. 



William Evans. 

 In addition to the above notes and those published in our 

 last number (pp. 82-83), we have received a number of 

 communications on this subject, which will be more convenient 

 for reference if tabulated under the respective counties to 

 which the observations refer. Although there has been, 

 without doubt, an unusual irruption this year of Crossbills 

 from oversea into this country, it must not be too hastily 

 concluded that all the records can be traced to this source. 

 In some of the districts we know that Crossbills appear every 

 year in July, but in such cases there is certainly evidence that 

 this year their numbers have been larger. Some of our 

 correspondents have noted that the birds move on after 

 exhausting the available food-supply, and this may be the 

 underlying cause of the periodic large movements of these 

 birds. 



Scotland. — Ten or twelve at Creetowh, Kirkcudbrightshire, 

 from July 29th to time of writing (August 3rd) (W. 

 Walmesley White). A flock of forty near Castle Grant, 

 Strathspey, on July 19th, feeding on pine-cones and on 

 the galls of the spruce aphis (" Forester," Scotsman, 

 24, vii., 09). Eight feeding on green fly " during the last 

 fortnight " (July 22nd), at Wick, Caithness (D. Maclean, 

 Scotsman, 24, vil, 09). One caught at Hawick, Roxburgh- 

 shire, about July 20th (J. H. W., Scotsman, 26, vil, 09). 

 Lancashire. — One was caught with wing damaged, probably 

 by flying against a telephone wire, at Brinscall on July 

 16th (W. Machay Wood). 

 Cheshire. — One (female or young) seen by Mr. W. V. Wenner, 

 who knows this bird well in captivity, on Alderley Edge, 

 on July 11th {T. A. Coward). 



