196 SNOWFLAKE AXD CROSSBILL. 



With the Tree Sparrows and Juneos, Eedpolls feed on 

 the seeds of plants left uncovered ])y the snow, and thej 

 also include birch buds in their fare. 



None of our winter birds better illustrate the flock- 

 ing habit than the Snowflakes, Snow Buntings, or, as they 



Snowflake, ^^^ ^^^^ called, White Snowbirds. With 



Ptedro^Jienax nivaii.^. a Uniformity of movement which would 

 Plate L. p^^^ ^^ shame the evolutions of the best- 



drilled troops, they whirl over the snow-clad fields, wheel- 

 ing to right or left, as though governed by a single 

 impulse. Suddenly they swing downward into a weedy 

 field, alighting on the snow or ground, where they run — 

 not hop about — like little beach birds. Sometimes, it is 

 said, they sing on the wing while with us, but their usual 

 note is a low chirp. They are terrestrial birds, and, al- 

 though they may often perch on fences or buildings, are 

 rarely seen in trees. 



Snowflakes nest within the Arctic Circle, and, like 

 other of our winter birds that come from the far Korth, 

 are irreo'ular in their movements. As a rule thev do not 

 wander much south of Long Island and northern Illinois, 

 but occasionally they go as far as Virginia and Kansas, 

 and are thus among the possibilities which add so much 

 to the j^leasure of winter days in tlie field. 



The Crossbill is a possibility at any season. None of 



our birds is more erratic in its migrations. As a rule, it 



is found in the Middle States onlv be- 

 American Crossbill. 

 LojIu i-un'iro.^fra twceu iS ovcmbcr and March, but i 



7iiu^or. have seen it in Central Park, New 



Plate LI. y^^.^ ^.^^^^ ^^ j^^^ ^g ^^^^^ jj^ ^1^^ 



higher parts of the Alleghanies and in northern New 

 England it is resident throughout the year. Crossbills 

 usually wander as far south each ^^^nter as Connecticut, 

 but beyond this are of irregular occurrence. 



They feed almost entirely upon the seeds of pines, and 



