408 BRITISH BIRDS. 



On the 15th, working another part of the forest, I found 

 three more nests, two of which held four young, both lots 

 being under a week old, the third five eggs (an unusual clutch 

 with the Crossbill I believe) on the point of hatching. At 

 this last nest I stroked the sitting hen ; and, more, after she 

 had hopped off the nest, and when I was examining the 

 eggs, she actually came and perched on my finger. The cock, 

 too, came very close. 



All these three nests were in Scotch firs — out on projecting 

 branches near the summit, and on or near a roadside, and it 

 is significant that all six (those of the 9th and 15th) were near 

 a farm or cottage. One of the last three nests was, extern- 

 ally, largely composed of wool, felted into living and dead 

 fir-twigs ; in all cases moss and dried grass were used besides, 

 and the lining — always rather scant — was of wool, hair, and 

 a few curly feathers. 



During April 14th and 15th I saw some 150 Crossbills in 

 parties of from fifteen to thirty approximately. There seemed 

 to be an even proportion of males and females, and most of the 

 males were in good red plumage. The cock at one nest 

 was, however, of a dull brown with only a tinge of red on the 

 rump and breast. Will these flocks disband and breed later ; 

 or are they non-breeders ? It appears that but a small 

 percentage of them are nesting, though I have no doub/t that 

 scattered pairs are breeding all over Sussex in suitable 

 districts. 



A word or two on the Crossbill's cries. The usual " chuk " 

 or " chik " — a ticking, metallic note — is uttered either fairly 

 slowly or very fast ; a flock gives out a subdued sort of twitter, 

 difficult to describe, but possibly a modification of the 

 " chuk " note ; and the male's song (I have heard some 

 singing in flocks this April) may be rendered as " chip-chip- 

 chip-gee-gee-gee-gee." It is by no means loud ; all the same 

 it is uttered distinctly and is quite characteristic ; in point 

 of time and number of notes it somewhat resembles the song 

 of the Reed-Bunting. The young, when nearly fledged, have 

 a sibilant chirp, which soon becomes a distinct " chik," like 

 that of the adults. JoHN Walpole-Bond. 



IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILLS. 



I would ask correspondents to send in future, only notes 

 relating to (1) Nesting; (2) Definitely ascertained increase 

 or decrease in any locality ; (3) Arrival in a locality where it 

 is certain they were not present immediately previously. 



H. F. W. 



