A TRIBE OF WEED WABUIORS 207 



" My Canary is never sad," said Nat ; " he is always 

 singing." 



" For very many years Canaries have been bred in 

 cages, to be pets, and as these have never been wild 

 they are used to cage life. They are the best birds for 

 pets, because they are seed-eaters, and it is easy to 

 supply the food they like. 



" Some winter day, or even late in autumn, you may 

 see on your walks, another red bird — a near relation 

 of the Pine Grosbeak ; in fact, the two often flock 

 together. This bird is called the American Crossbill." 



The Pine Grosbeak 



Length about nine inches. 



General color of adult male strawberry-red, the wings and tail 

 dark, with some light-brown and white edgings; the tail forked a 

 little. 



The female and young male gray, tinged here and there with 

 saffron-yellow. 



A Summer Citizen as far north from the States as trees grow, 

 roving in winter about the northerly and middle States. 



A fine, large Weed Warrior, with a very stout beak, almost like 

 a Parrot's. 



THE AMERICAN CROSSBILL 



(The Cone Wrencher) 



" When it is winter in the northern parts of North 

 America, and the Great Snow Owls have scattered on 

 their southward journey — when heavy snows have 

 beaten down and covered the seed-stalks of weeds and 

 well-nigh walled the little fur-bearing beasts into their 

 holes — then in regions where March brings only storms 

 of sleet to coat the tree-trunks and lock up insect food, 

 a pair of strange birds are already building their nest. 



