BIRDS. 



297 



was seen at Spynie, July 4th, 1859 {Fauna of Moray). It was known 

 to breed at Mainwood, near Elgin (J. Hancock) ; also at Grantown, 

 in Strathspey, and at Grant Castle {Fauna of Moray). In 1885 

 Mr. J. Backhouse observed some at work in Dalwhinnie Wood 

 for several days, and one was shot for him by Mr. M'Donald — 

 the landlord of the hotel. This was upon the 20th June, and 

 it is worth recording that this Crossbill and a Siskin, shot the 

 same day, were the first of either species ever seen there, and 

 Mr. M'Donald has a good eye for new birds. 



Lewis Dunbar took Crossbill's eggs in Strathspey as long ago 

 as 1848 (Lewis Dunbar, in lit. to J. Wolley, and also to us).^ 

 Mr. Gatherer, present Curator of the Elgin Museum, obtained eggs 

 and nest also as low down the Spey as Fochabers, which are now 

 in the Museum, indicating pretty clearly one line of extension 

 eastwards to Cullen and Deveron valley. We have also a note 

 that they bred near Nairn, in the spring of 1891. Mr. Rose, of 

 Holm Rose, near Nairn, had, in June 1891, in a cage, the nest, 

 young, and the two old birds, taken by himself the spring of 

 the same year; he found the nest when it had eggs (^-ide Inverness 

 Courier f May 22nd, 1891, p. 3). Mr. Rose, replying to our in- 

 quiries, writes : — ' Crossbills are rather periodical visitors, but are 

 far less numerous during the last four or five years. I have only 

 seen one pair anywhere about here during the last year.' Mr. Rose 

 has also bred Crossbills in confinement. A pair made a nest in 

 a cage, and the hen laid eggs which she hatched out, and reared 

 the young until they were nearly full-grown, when they unfortun- 

 ately died. One of the nests that Mr. Rose took, and from which 

 he reared the young, was placed in an alder-tree. 



The Crossbill is seen about Tomatin, on the Finaiiui u, in April. 

 There are pines all round old enough for nesting purposes — the 

 youngest about forty years old. ^luch older pines and larch (with 

 the twigs of which latter these birds delight to build their nests) 

 exist, but are only the remnants of an old forest.^ Crossbills are 

 said to have been unusually abundant in the Spey forests in 1891. 

 As we have remarked, their numbers are subject to fluctuation, and 



1 We are indebted to Professor A. Newton for kindly allowing us to see numerous 

 letters of correspondents of the late Mr. John Wolley. 



Only five or six very old larch remain standing, l^eing the remains from a general 

 cutting down by the present proprietor's father (M'Bean, Escj. of Tomatin). 



