8492 



Birds. 



Change of Plumage in the Crossbills. — The common crossbills are unusually nume- 

 rous in our forests this winter, owing to the abundant supply of tir cones ; but the parrot 

 crossbills are rare, and I observed very little fruit on the pines. Having worked out the 

 different changes of plumage in the pine grosbeak pretty satisfactorily to myself while at 

 Quiekiock [a description of which will be found at Zool.8001 and 8003], I am now 

 studying the crossbills. I have made but little progress yet. I have, however, proved 

 one fact — that, contrary to the opinion of some naturalists, the young male after the 

 first month does not resemble the female ; and I have also (contrary to my own opinion) 

 proved that the young males do not attain the red plumage at the fc first moult. Four 

 specimens of young males and two females (all bred this year) are now set before me. 

 These were all killed on the 12th of November, and the plumage is this. On the 

 belly, sides and breast are some of the dark-streaked feathers of the nest plumage ; 

 rump bright yellow-red ; upper plumage dull green, but all the feathers edged with 

 red-yellow, brightest on the head; breast same as the rump, but hardly so bright. 

 The young females dark green, wilh a faint yellow breast and a faint tinge of bright 

 yellow (not yellow-red) on the rump ; head as in the old birds. Now it will be inte- 

 resting to watch the gradual change of plumage in the young males, which I think 

 (but this is only my own supposition, remaining to be proved) will during the course 

 of the winter gradually become red (in time for next breeding season), by the yellow- 

 red changing to a deeper red, and not by a moult. I hope in the spring to be able to 

 clear up much of the mystery that still envelopes the change of plumage of these birds. 

 We have just now capital hunting weather, rainy and mild, but no winter; and not- 

 withstanding we have plenty of rowan berries the waxwings have not yet come down, 

 although I saw a small flock five weeks ago, when we had one night's snow. We have 

 a few pine grosbeaks. — Mr. Wheelwright ; Gardsjd, Sweden, November 15,1862. — In 

 the * Field.' 



Greenfinch (Loxia. chloris) in Shetland. — One was shot from a flock of twites last 

 autumn. Another was obtained in the same manner a few years ago. — Henry L. Saxby; 

 Balta Sound, Shetland, February 28, 1863. 



Cuckoos Laying in a Greenhouse. — On reading the account of the deposition of the 

 cuckoo's egg in the nests of other birds I am induced to state what has come under ray 

 observation during a twenty years' residence in Radnorshire, on the banks of the River 

 Wye. At Garnon's, in Herefordshire, eight miles from Hereford, the seat of the late 

 Sir John Cotterell, his gardener had two or three times seen a cuckoo go out of the 

 green house in the morning when he opened the door, and a day or two afterwards, 

 as he was watering the plants, which were planted in pots and placed on stands in the 

 greenhouse, he discovered a water wagtail's nest built in one of them, with a cuckoo's egg 

 in it along with its own eggs. Now the most singular thing was that the only way the 

 cuckoo could and did come in and out of the greenhouse was by a glass door or opening, 

 to give air and ventilation to the plants, not larger than ten inches by six. The cuckoo's 

 egg was hatched, the bird brought up by the water wagtails, suffered to fly when old 

 enough, and made its escape out of the greenhouse by the same small door or opening 

 at which the old cuckoo came in. On walking across a large common at the back of 

 my house I discovered a young cuckoo just fledged in a woodlark's nest, and which 

 young cuckoo, I am sorry to say, was not suffered to fly, for some unlucky boys stoned 

 it to death. My idea is that the cuckoo very often lays its egg in a ground bird's 

 nest. A friend of mine sent me a titlark's nest with a cuckoo's egg in it besides two of 

 its own. As he was walking across a large hill he trod on a gorse bush, and a titlark 



