. British birds. Birds. LEHERS SPORADIC NESTING. To the Editors of British Birds. Sirs,—I\Ir. Jourdain in hi? editorial note has so completely replied to Mr. Meares's letter, that there is very little more for me to add. I have never disputed Mr. Witherby's grounds for describing the Crossbill as a sporadic breeder in England; on the contrary I consider at the time the statement appeared it was fully justified. But since the statement was made, soon after the great irruption in 1909-10, I have proved conclusively that it bred in 1911 and 1912. Apart from this, the evidence which I have co
. British birds. Birds. LEHERS SPORADIC NESTING. To the Editors of British Birds. Sirs,—I\Ir. Jourdain in hi? editorial note has so completely replied to Mr. Meares's letter, that there is very little more for me to add. I have never disputed Mr. Witherby's grounds for describing the Crossbill as a sporadic breeder in England; on the contrary I consider at the time the statement appeared it was fully justified. But since the statement was made, soon after the great irruption in 1909-10, I have proved conclusively that it bred in 1911 and 1912. Apart from this, the evidence which I have collected from several keepers and keen observers left no doubt in my mind that it has always bred in Suffolk and possibly Norfolk. Mr. H. M. Upcher remarked that the Crossbill used to breed regularly in a small clump of fir-trees near Brandon station, Norfolk {Bulletin , Vol. XXVII., p. 61), and I now respectfully submit that Mr. Witherby has no longer any claim to maintain that the Crossbill is not a resident breeding species in England. If some foreign .species has a right to be placed on the British list as the result of securing a solitary example, then surely the Crossbill has some claim to be classed as a resident English breeding species, on the strength of the evidence which has been submitted from time to time and placed before your readers. If I do not succeed in discovering the CrossVjiIl breeding in Suffolk in 1913, it would be mere supposition to say that it had not bred, and in my opinion this would not alter the question in the slightest. An important fact which should not be overlooked, is that Suffolk and Norfolk are eminentlj' suited to the habits of the Crossbill. It is a resident breeding species in Scotland and Ireland, and to my mind there is nothing remarkable in its being so in England. As to the use (I would prefer to say the misuse) of the word "sporadic," "erratic" would I think have been more applicable to the case. However
Size: 1465px × 1705px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherl, booksubjectbirds
