180 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK 



lable i^eet. It has also a chattering note, uttered when it 

 flies. Its disposition and habits are similar to those of the 

 Eed Crossbill, from which it may always be distinguished 

 by the presence of conspicuous ivhite tving-hars. The red 

 of the adult male is a rose-red, different from the vermilion- 

 red of the Red Crossbill. 



American Crossbill ; Eed Crossbill. Loxia curvi- 



rostra mino?' 



6.19 



Ad. $ . — Entire body dull vermilion-red, brightest on head, 

 rump, and belly; wings and tail dark; tips of the mandibles 

 crossed. Ad. 9 ^"d Trn. — Entire body gray, with a greenish 

 wash on the breast; rump greenish-yellow. 



Nest, in coniferous trees. Eggs, pale-greenish, spotted with 

 purplish-brown. 



The Red Crossbill is a common permanent resident of 

 the coniferous forests of northern New England. A few 

 Crossbills may be seen in any month of the year on the 

 upland of Berkshire County, Mass., and in southern New 

 Hampshire and Vermont (see map, p. 15), but in southern 

 New England they are very irregular visitors, occurring 

 abundantly in some winters, at other times being wholly 

 absent, or appearing only as rare migrants in spring and fall. 

 When they spend the winter in southern New England, 

 they resort to the cone-bearing evergreens — the hemlocks, 

 spruces, and pines — and feed on the seeds, hanging to the 

 cones and forcing their scales apart, or later on in the season 

 picking up the fallen seeds from the ground. They also 

 extract the seeds from the rotten apples left on the trees. 

 Like the other northern visitors they are very tame, but 

 when startled often fly off to a distance. Their call-note, 

 always uttered when flying, is a loud Ixijy-ki}:), ki2>kip-ki2), 

 very like a note made by young chickens. The song re- 

 sembles the syllables too-tee', too-tee', too-tee', tee, tee', tee. 

 (See preceding species.) 



