of the Crossbill. 415 



as stated by Selby. Neither do I think so much of the dif- 

 ference he mentions between their note when sitting and when 

 flying. They fly in a kind of semi-wheeling way, " exceed- 

 ingly much " as the linnets do. It was rather a singular coin- 

 cidence, that the bills of the number which we procured were 

 alternately crossed to the right or the left; that is, nine of the 

 eighteen had the under bill crossing the upper to the right, 

 and nine to the left ; so that it appears that no regular order 

 is preserved in this part of their organisation, and that it is 

 not fixed by any law of nature (VII. 58.). To descend 

 from the head to the feet, which are exceedingly strong, and 

 the legs placed very far backward indeed, there is very great 

 power in the muscles and tendons by which they are worked, 

 so that the bird can sway its body into almost any position, 

 such as the situation of its food may require for its getting at it. 

 The birds seem almost as if their feet were ingrafted into the 

 branch, so firmly fixed do they appear, bending their bodies 

 at the same time upwards or downwards, in fact, in any direc- 

 tion, and in every attitude. When the bird is dead, the feet 

 are contracted in a very forcible manner, requiring some 

 strength to bend them, and bent as if grasping the branch to 

 which they were before so attached : " the ruling passion 

 strong in death." Having now, however, nothing to oppose 

 their contraction, they show how very strong their muscles 

 must be, as they cause the toes to cross, or interlay, one another 

 in a very remarkable manner, such as I never observed in 

 any other bird. 



I have just now read over their natural history, as given 

 by that excellent ornithologist, Mr. Selby ; but, in one or two 

 particulars, I think his account of them is erroneous. Those 

 which he describes as having procured in the month of June, 

 he supposes to have been engaged in the work of incubation 

 in the winter months ; because the breasts of the females 

 were denuded of feathers at the time he procured them, 

 namely, in June ; and Willughby, he says, describes their 

 song, which is pleasant, as heard only during the winter 

 months, or season of incubation. Now, about this time 

 (January and February), they are in Jlocks, instead of pairs ; 

 and the latter case would obtain were they even building or 

 about to build ; and they have not even yet found their voice 

 of song, which always is the prelude to their pairing, but 

 are only heard to utter a monotonous chirping note. Besides, 

 how many of our native birds there are which lay their eggs, 

 and hatch them, soon enough to have their breasts denuded 

 of feathers from that cause, quite as early as the month of 

 June, and often much earlier ! The crossbill may breed rather 



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