NOTES. 227 



and we feel sure that these cleverly drawn maps will be 

 much appreciated by our readers in that they give a com- 

 prehensive view of the Crossbill irruption in the British 

 Islands in 1909 so far as the records go. Commander Lynes 

 wishes to point out that he has drawn up the maps with a 

 view to showing graphically the records as they stand, and 

 that he has kept as closely as has been possible, considering 

 the frequent lack of precise details, to these records. 



The irruption of the Crossbills this year has been an 

 important event, and it behoves us to make as complete a 

 record as possible of the movement so far as it affects the 

 British Islands. The wider question of a comprehensive 

 study of the whole great movement is not within our 

 province, and we are delighted to learn that Ritter von 

 Tschusi has undertaken this important work in the same way 

 that he has already investigated the invasion of Pallas's 

 Sand-Grouse. 



Scotland. — The only Crossbill I have heard of in this 

 district (Edinburgh) during the present year was seen 

 near Gifford, Haddingtonshire, in August (William 

 Evans) . 

 Westmorland. — A flock of about twenty (old and young), 

 three miles north of Windermere, on November 17th ; 

 presumably same flock on November 20th ; between 

 forty and fifty, two miles further east, on Novem- 

 ber 20th (E. B. Dunlop). 

 Yorkshire. — About forty seen near Whitby on September 

 10th, one picked up on the 14th, and about the 19th one 

 was shot from a flock of about a dozen frequenting for a 

 few days a garden on the outskirts of the town 

 (T. Stephenson, Nat., 1909, p. 398). 

 Suffolk. — An adult male and female and several young at 

 Thurston, near Bury St. Edmunds, on September 27th 

 (D. H. Meares). One near Thetford on October 27th, 

 and a small flock (about six) on the Norfolk side of the 

 river near Croxton on October 29th (H. Noble). 

 Cheshire. — (Correction to supra, p. 191). The locality was 

 Alderley Edge, near, not at, Bowdon. A single bird was 

 seen there on July 11th (c/. p. 124). No others were seen 

 until October 3rd, when four were observed ; eight or 

 nine on October 6th ; more plentiful on 9th ; on the 

 15th at least fifty was the estimated number. On 

 October 24th a small party was seen near Chelford, 

 about four miles from Alderley Edge (T. A. Coward). 



