Vol. xxxix. | 36 
the calamus; some pieces show inconspicuous whitish tips. 
Size about the same as that of the Teal (Q. crecca).” 
Mr. Bunyarp also made the following remarks on _ the 
Crossbill (Lowia curvirostra) :— 
“IT have now recorded the breeding of the Crossbill in 
England every year since the big irruption in 1910; it has 
already been recorded as breeding this year (1918). In 
August last I was cycling in Suffolk along a much-frequented 
high-road, when I heard the now familiar note of the Crossbill 
im the Scotch pines on either side of the road. J examined 
the ground under the trees, and found quantities of attacked 
cones ; some fell quite close to where I was standing, and on 
a careful examination of the tree I discovered two young 
birds of the year busy feeding. I caught some of the cones 
as they fell, and in every case they proved to be green cones 
of the year: this interested me very much, as there were 
plenty of ripe cones on the trees. I made a further search 
and found more birds, all of which were those of the year, ° 
and in every case they were feeding on the green cones. 
I had previously found the green ones attacked in the 
autumn, but it never occurred to me that this is a habit of 
the young birds, which it certainly appears to be; and it is 
quite possible that these young birds confine themselves to 
these cones because they find them easier to force open. 
The muscles of the mandibles are probably not sufficiently 
developed to enable them to attack the ripe hard cones. 
I exhibit some of the cones which I have preserved in 
spirit; it is also of interest to note that there were no 
adult birds seen,” 
Mr. HE. C. Stuarr Barker made the following remarks on 
the subspecies of the Kingfisher, Alcedo meninting :— 
Hitherto only two races of this little Kingfisher have 
been generally accepted, viz. Alcedo meninting Horsfield 
(Java) and A. beavani Walden (Manbhum) ; whilst recently 
Oberholser has added two new races from Batu and Nias 
