296 



BIRDS. 



' A male and female shot at Gordon Castle by the Duke, December 

 29th, 1809, agreeing with Pennant's description,' etc. etc. ;i also : — 

 ' Saw a pair of them, July 4th, 1821, feeding very famiharly near 

 some masons building a lodge, near the White Gate at Gordon 

 Castle. The masons think they have a nest near the place, and 

 that they hear their young.' 



Edward says ' it is on the increase,' and that ' they have 

 nested with us for some time.' There are specimens in the Banff 

 Museum, and Eev. A. Smith says it has been occasionally met 

 with {X.S.A. 1845, parish of Banff). Dr. J. O. Wilson says of it 

 in the neighbourhood of Huntly : ' Occurs in small flocks in our fir 

 woods pretty frequently,' and believes ' it breeds in the locality.' 

 Mr. Goodbrand, gamekeeper, Cullen, includes it in a list sent us 

 from the Cullen estates. In 1864 it is spoken of as ' occasionally 

 breeding.' Now it swarms over many miles of forests in Moray, 

 and is rapidly extending its breeding area both westwards and 

 eastwards, overflowing into ' Dee ' by the Ythan valley, and into 

 West Eoss about Loch Maree. The peculiar pulsing or irregularity 

 of the migratory movements in each year, clearly shows to us 

 that this species is one of those which are asserting their fitness, 

 and increasing almost as rapidly as Jackdaws, Rooks, and Starlings, 

 just as the woods and forests increase, and afford them shelter and 

 natural feeding, the trees often, we believe, receiving benefit also 

 by the judicious and natural bud-pruning which they get from 

 the birds. AYe have seen a Crossbill's nest of late years with 

 seven eggs in it; formerly, five used to be considered a normal 

 number. 



Xorman considered it a breeding bird when he T\TOte at Forres, 

 and he saw 'large numbers in Cluny Hill woods, in September 

 1868, where they came when the larch cones ripened.' They bred 

 also in the Altyre woods, nesting so late as 21st April in the 

 extremities of fir branches {Zoologist, 1868, p. 1255). 



As related in 1841, ' a Crossbill was shot ' some years ago in the 

 oak wood near Elgin, by Mr. G. Taylor ; and the same year there 

 were a few seen both at Calcots, Elginshire, and at Cawdor, Nairn- 

 shire, and it was reported as more plentiful at Altyre, while a flock 



^ Hoy, after quoting Berkenhout, usually added his own descriptions, and refers, 

 as above, to Pennant. We do not reproduce these notes, as they are not usually of 

 direct utility in a faunal work. 



