681 
1921.] Birds of Alcudia, Majorca. 
them washing themselves in the pools around the lagoons 
near Alcudia, and in the water-courses in the hills, when 
they so thoroughly soak themselves that they can only fly as 
far as the nearest tree to dry and preen their feathers. 
In 1919 they had paired in the beginning of December, 
and some were evidently building in January 1920, but I 
did not find a completed nest until 1 April, 1920, and this 
contained four fresh eggs.' The female did not leave the 
nest until the tree was struck, and the pair flew closely 
around, chirping vigorously while the tree was being 
climbed. It was built in a fork of a lateral branch of a 
small pine—a similar position to all other nests I found,— 
and was a platform of pine twigs on which was a compact cup 
of grass, fibre, and a little hair. The eggs were white, rather 
faintly spotted with different shades of brown, one specimen 
hardly showing any markings at all. 
On the same day I found three other nests being built in 
exactly similar positions, at each of which was its pair 
of birds ; but on 10 April I found a nest from which the 
young had flown some weeks before, and on 26 April a 
female with two fully-grown ones was seen feeding quite 
tamely, low down among the small pines. Crossbills had 
evidently nested in the district the preceding year, judging 
by the number of old nests which were found. 
The eggs of this subspecies have not been taken before. 
During the extremely wet and unsettled winter of 1920-21, 
Crossbills did not appear in the district until the beginning 
of January 1921, nor did I see any in other parts of the 
island until then. They then appeared in numbers, and were 
as plentiful as usual in all suitable localities, and commenced 
pairing immediately. The natives say that in bad winters 
they go to Africa. 
Obtained by v. Jordans. 
24. Emberiza calandra. Corn-Bunting. 
A resident, but not very plentiful; a considerable increase 
in its numbers takes place from the end of January, but it 
is generally noticed singly or in pairs. 1 took a nest with 
