80 Order 1 



preferred, but larches are also utilized, and the nest 

 is more often on a horizontal branch than near the 

 trunk of the tree. The male is very conspicuous when 

 he sits in the morning on some tree- top, pouring forth 

 his lively song and shewing off his crimson colours ; 

 only birds in perfect plumage, however, are so bright, 

 the remainder being orange and the females greenish, 

 while all have browner wings and tail. The young are 

 much greyer. The Crossbill's presence is generally 

 made evident by the number of fir-cones with their 

 seeds extracted which lie below the trees, but insects 

 of different sorts, caterpillars and fruit give variety to 

 the diet. As cones become scarce the flocks move to 

 new places, and their low sibilant notes are heard 

 no more ; the flight is strong, as might be expected 

 from the size of the bird. This species, in slightly 

 varying forms, breeds in the conifer-districts of both 

 the Palsearctic and the Nearctic regions, a specially 

 stout-billed race having been denominated the Parrot 

 Crossbill. The characteristic crossing of the tips of the 

 mandibles is not peculiar to the Crossbills ; it has, for 

 instance, occurred exceptionally in Redpolls. 



Subfamily Bmberizinae, or Buntings 



The Corn-Bunting (Emberiza calandra), a heavy plain 

 brown bird with whitish under surface streaked with 

 the same colour, is with us at all times of year, though 

 a certain amount of migration is known to take place. 



It breeds in various places throughout the Palsearctic 

 region save in the far north and east, and is abundant, 

 though local, in Britain. It prefers uncultivated districts 

 and those without woods, not ascending to any great alti- 

 tude, and being nowhere more common than in Orkney 



