VOLUME XXV. 
THE CROSSBILL AND ITS DIET. 
BY C. B. MOFFAT, B.A., M.R.I. A. 
The large influx of Crossbills into this country which 
took place in 1909 has not been made the subject of any 
communications to the Irish Naturalist since the short note 
furnished by Mr. Barrington in January, 1910. The in- 
vasion naturally attracted rather less notice than the 
previous one of 1888, since the birds were no longer such 
novelties as at the time of their earlier visit. But it would 
be a misfortune if the descendants of the invaders of 1909 
should be suffered to die out, after breeding with us for a 
series of years, without some use being made of the oppor- 
tunity of further studying the habits of a bird regarding 
whose economy much information still needs to be acquired. 
The Crossbills that appeared in Ireland in such force in 
1888 were probably the ancestors of most of the numerous 
parties of those birds that travelled about the country for 
nearly twenty years afterwards, breeding in many counties 
and visiting the wooded parts of others at times when their 
favourite food (the seed of the Larch) was abundant. To 
the best of my belief these birds reached their maximum 
abundance about the year 1894, but as they often increased 
in one district while declining in another, it is difficult to 
fix precise dates. Mr. Ussher, in his " List of Irish Birds," 
mentions that since 1905 they have been " scarce and 
uncertain." At Ballyhyland I saw none since September, 
1898, and the only years in which the woods here were 
frequented by them for lengthened periods were 1892 and 
1894. 
A 
