BRITISH BIRDS THE COMMON CROSSBILL. THE history of the Common Crossbill, in this country, at least, was involved in some obscurity and though these birds were more abundant here during the greater part of 1836,1837, and 1838, than has been known for some years before, but few instances have occurred in which the eggs or nestlings were taken. These birds are most frequently seen in flocks between the latter part of the month of June and the beginning of February but Mr. Hoy has watched them closely in Suffolk, and satisfied himself that the same birds remained till May and Mr. Joseph Clarke, of Saffron Valden, who has also paid great attention to this species, has recorded his having seen thcm during evcry successive month of one entire year in the pIantations about Saffron Walden, yet he could never learn that they then made any attempt to breed. Mr. Bullock long ago suspected that the Crossbill bred in this country, having, received young birds from the vicinity of Bath early in July. Large flocks were observed in this country in 1821, Mr. Selby in the month of June of that year obtained many, the females of which showed plainly, from the denuded state of their breasts, that they had Iately been engaged in incubation. White of Selbome obtained Crossbills there in summer, and found that the females were in the same state, as to plumage, as those examined by Mr. Selby. Mr. Knapp has observed the same appearance in females killed early in August. Small flocks, including young birds, were seen in Dumfriesshire in June, 1833 or 1834. Mr. Heysham says there were flocks of Crossbills about Carlisle in June, 1837 and twenty were killed by one person in Hampshire during the first week of August, 1838. These summer flocks are ascertained to be family parties, composed of the parent birds and young ones of the year the old birds are undergoing the usual moult, which commences almost immediatcly after incubation the young birds of the years are in their nestling plumage, and do not complete their first moult, or change, till October, and sometimes still later. The visits of this singular species to our shores happen at irregular periods, sometimes with intervals of many years and some curious records of the appearance of large flocks in 1254 and in 1593 are still preserved. I have been favoured by the Rev. L. B. Larking of Ryarsh Vicarage, nea Maidstone, tvith a COPY from an old MS., which refers to this subject in the folIowing terms - That the yeere 1503 was a greate and exceeding yeere of apples and there mere greate plenty of stong birds, that shewed themselves at the time the apples were fully ripe, who fed uppon the kernells only of those apples, and having a biIl with one beake over the other, which would presently bore a greate hole in the apple, and make way to the kernells...........