WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL 529 



Kobie W. Tufts also writes of a nest found on Apr. 1, 1906, contain- 

 ing three eggs about half incubated. On Apr. 26, 1906, he found 

 another nest with four eggs which had not been incubated. On Apr. 

 2, 1925, at Seal Island in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, he observed 

 a female carrying usnea moss and ultimately he located her half- 

 built nest. Visiting the nest again on April 19 he found it contained 

 four eggs which were nearly half incubated. This would seem to 

 imply a rather long period of incubation but I have found no positive 

 information on this point. 



Harold F. Tufts (1906) limits nests to spruce, but says, "some were 

 in trees of large growth and seventy feet from the ground, while 

 others were placed low in small bushes." Of the family life he says: 



During the period of incubation the sitting females were observed to be fed by 

 the males, in the same manner that the young are fed by their parents — that is by 

 the disgorging of the contents of the crop into the open mouth of the bird to be 

 fed. When bringing his mate food in this manner the male crossbill would an- 

 nounce his coming by loud pipings, and perching upon a near by tree would con- 

 tinue his excited chirpings some minutes and then fly direct to the nest. Often 

 after having thus fed his mate, he would circle in the air about his home on out- 

 stretched flapping wings, giving vent to a perfect ecstasy of song. 



* * * 



The nesting period of these birds seems very extended. Thus on Jan. 31, nests 

 were found with young. The birds have been nesting ever since, and at this date 

 (May 7) flocks of full fledged young can be seen feeding about the woods, while 

 nests with eggs are still to be found. 



This protracted period of nesting took place near Wolfville, Nova 

 Scotia. 



Joseph Grinnell (1900a) found three nests in a stretch of dwarf 

 spruces on May 28, 1899 in the Kotzebue region of Alaska. He says: 

 "On this date the large flocks had scattered out, and the birds were 

 mostly seen singly or in pairs. Two or three companies of a dozen 

 or so were noted, these probably being non-breeders or yearlings. 

 The first nest was found by spotting a pair of birds and closely watch- 

 ing their movements. * * * Both birds soon left the vicinity and 

 did not return while I remained. The nest was situated close to 

 the trunk, ten feet above the ground, in a mass of foliage so thick as 

 to entirely hide it from view. It contained two eggs, about one-third 

 incubated." The second nest was 12 feet high near the top of a dwarf 

 spruce and was "embedded in a mass of foliage against the stem of 

 the tree, much as in the case of the first nest. It contained two 

 pipped eggs and one newly hatched young. The parents evinced 

 more solicitude in this case, chirping and flying from tree to tree." 

 The third nest was 15 feet up, also hidden in the dense spruce top, 

 and held one fresh egg. The three nests were "just alike in every 

 way. They consist externally of short dry spruce twigs; and inter- 



