WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL 537 



manner in and out of the shed by passing through a crack between two 

 logs in the side wall, disappearing into the alders, and reappearing. 

 The bird associated not at all with a number of purple finches {Carpo- 

 dacus purpureus) scattered in hardwood trees across the road. In 

 1950 on Katahdin, in a heavily coniferous area where purple finches 

 occur in numbers summer after summer, occasional association of the 

 crossbills with them seemed purely fortuitous. In no instance did I 

 see the two species intermingle closely. 



Brewster (1938), as compiled by Griscom, says: 



They seem to have regular beats or routes which they travel every day. Thus 

 the flock noted October 19th regularly passed our camp every morning at about 

 the same hour. They alighted somewhere behind it, and after feeding ten minutes 

 or more took wing again. Like the Red Crossbill they are absolutely silent when 

 feeding. Just before starting to fly one or two birds begin to call, others join in 

 and finally with a general outcry the flock are off. Their flight is undulating, and 

 they fly in a loose scattered flock. * * * They rarely spent more than three or 

 four minutes in one tree usually alighting in a cluster among the cones at the top, 

 then as if struck by a panic whirling off again. Occasionally they would alight in 

 the top of a tall dead pine. I saw one hang head downward and then climb out 

 under a dead branch using its bUl like a Parrot. 



The tameness of this species has been noted by many observers, 

 including myself. Mr. Bent mentions in his notes attempting to 

 noose birds, but he found they would jump right through the noose. 

 A. Leith Adams (1873) did succeed in catching 30 birds by using a 

 hair noose. 



Earle A. Brooks (1920) quotes a correspondent at French Creek, 

 W. Va., on Jan. 22, 1920, a cold day with heavy sleet. He says: 

 "One finely colored male was working busily at a cone on a branch a 

 foot above my head, and I stroked his side with the tip of my umbrella. 

 Instead of flying he edged away, threw his head to one side and scolded 

 me softly for interrupting his feast." The correspondent then pro- 

 ceeded to pick up one of three females which were eating from a cone 

 in the road. He carried the bird home, made sure of the identification, 

 took the bird out onto his porch, and opened his hand. "The bird 

 flew about two feet and alighted on a vine." Another correspondent 

 at Buckhannon, W. Va., wrote on the same day that, "by practising a 

 little Indian stealth, I was able to place my hand over" a fuU plumaged 

 male. 



Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1874a) describe the actions of a caged 

 pair, saying: "They were very tame, and were exceedingly interesting 

 little pets. Their movements in the cage were like those of caged 

 parrots in every respect, except that they were far more easy and rapid. 

 They clung to the sides and upper wires of the cage with their feet, 

 hung down from them, and seemed to enjoy the practice of walking 

 with their head downward." 



