406 BRITISH BIRDS. 



Almost every visit we have paid to this district has revealed 

 more birds. On April 2nd and again on April 9th we saw 

 well over a hundred birds, though we did not visit more than 

 half the fir-woods. Throughout they have been in flocks 

 of from eight to twenty, but latterly there have been more 

 single birds and pairs. 



I have noticed that when the scales of the cones dehisce, 

 which they often do on one side first, the birds extract the 

 seeds which have not fallen out, but do not trouble to obtain 

 those from the unopened portion. Consequently none of the 

 scales are frayed in these cones. 



H. R. Tutt. 

 Probable Nesting in Surrey. 



During February and March and up to April 12th, 1910 

 (since which I have had no opportunity of observing), small 

 parties of Crossbills have frequented the Scotch firs on Shere 

 Heath. Three or four pairs have been going about in couples ; 

 one pair frequent a small pond in our garden, which adjoins 

 the heath, and are constantly drinking there. There can 

 be little doubt that they have bred, or attempted to breed, 

 in the neighbourhood, though much watching has not led to 

 their nests being discovered. I have seen no obviously young 

 birds. My brother tells me that on March 20th he saw a 

 pair collecting nesting-material in the garden, and flying with 

 it to the heath. The song is softly modulated and not un- 

 pleasing, though it consists of a repetition of the sound 

 " kree," first uttered twice, " kree-kree," and then repeated 

 three times, " kree-kree-kree." I have news of other parties 

 of Crossbills frequenting a larch- wood at Burrows Cross, 

 a mile away, and Peaslake fir- woods, about three miles away. 



Harold Russell. 



In Sussex. 

 On April 9th, 1910, with Mr. Percy Smythe, who taught 

 me much concerning the nesting-habits of Crossbills, I 

 visited a certain area of St. Leonard's Forest. Our first beat 

 was the edge — Crossbills, it seems, mainly patronize the 

 margin of a wood or spinney, or belts and rows of firs by the 

 roadside for nesting purposes — of a large wood of Scotch 

 firs bordering a by-way. We had not been there long before 

 we heard a song which was new to us. The ordinary 

 " chuking " or " chiking " cry of the Crossbill Ave were, of 

 course, familiar with, though neither of us had ever heard 

 one sing. Sixty paces on, following up the song, we came 

 up to a male Crossbill, sunning himself and singing at the very 



