^THE # OOLOGIST> 



VOL. VII. 



ALBION N. Y., JULY, 1890. 



No. 7 



The American Crossbill. 



TIh" Aiuerifau Cnt.s.sl)ill, ulso I'onr 

 iiioul}' known l)v tlie nanje of Red 

 d'ossibill. is one of the great family of 

 Finches (Fringillidae). It is a little 

 larger than the common Linnet, and of 

 u genns closely allied to the Grosbeak 

 ;ind Bnll-tinch. The genus is pavticu- 

 \av\y characterized by the short, thick, 

 round beak, of which the sides are in- 

 llated, iMilging, and the tip of tlie ui)per 

 niandil)le overhangs the lower one 



The Crossbills have long Ijceii cele- 

 brated on account of the peculiar form 

 of th(>ir l)pak, from which they derived 

 tlieir name. The two mandibles are 

 rather long, tliick at the base, and 

 much curved, so much so that they 

 ♦•ross each otlier at tlie points, when 

 the Ijillis closed. 



In different individuals, exeu of tlie 

 same species, the up|)er and lower 

 mandibles are found variously dii-ected 

 ti> the right and left. 



To examine the beak of one of tliese 

 birds, one would sa,y, it would ])rolHbit 

 its owner from picking u]) seeds or 

 pro\ iding itself with food in any waj', 

 l)Ut, instead, it eats witli all tlie ease 

 and comfort of any of tlie straight- 

 beaked l)irds, and I'ujoj's itself like all 

 its feathered fellows of the air. Tlie 

 fo(^il of the Crosstiill consists of various 

 seeds, such as the seed of the tirs and 

 pine, which it obtains ])y teai'ing apart 

 the cones. They are also very fond of 

 apple-pips. Setting on a tree where 

 ripe apples an> hanging, it attacks tlie 

 fruit with its lieak and in a few 

 moments cuts a hole fairly into the 

 <-ore, from wliicli it daintily pieks out 

 the see<ls [(ejecting the rijx" pulp^- fruit 

 in wliii'h they have been enveloped. 



Tile male, as is the case with most 

 birds, differs much from the female and 



has the most beautiful i»lnmage. Tiie 

 head and back are prettily coloreil 

 with a variegated mixture of red, 

 brown and green, all of which have a 

 metalic lustre. The throat and breast 

 an; red, with here and there a few 

 feathers of yellowish-green atiil drab, 

 some of which are of a dim color, 

 wings black, running to a brownish 

 hue at the slioulders; tail, black; tail 

 (•overts, bright red; under tail coverts, 

 drab and black; abdomen, dral); bill, 

 black and half an iilch long; legs and 

 feet, ))lack, short and strong. 



Although nature has not provided 

 the female with quite so beautiful .-i 

 plumage, she. is nevertheless, very 

 pretty. The head, throat and breast 

 are colored in a variety of green, red 

 ami yellow; back, red, green and black; 

 tail, l)hu-k; tail coverts, bright yellow; 

 abdomen, drab; wings, black and 

 white. The total length of this bird is 

 not above six inches fi-om tip ot beak to 

 extremity of tail. The tail has a very 

 deep notch in the end, which is very 

 conspicrious when ffying. 



The son.g of this bird is very simple 

 and no particular quality to reccnii- 

 mend it. The Crossliills generally 

 Imikl their nests in fir trees in a some- 

 what shaded retreat and lay from foui- 

 to li\-e delicate green eggs, spotted 

 with varying shades of lavender In-own. 

 with here and there a heavy spot of 

 dark ])iir])lc-brown. 



R<)Bi:];t K. Scok.v,)^ 

 Afion. ^^ J. 



The Crested Grebe. 



The Crested Grebe {Fodice2}s cri^(((- 

 />/s) is one of the oddest looking birds I 

 ever met with. It is very common 

 :dong the shores of Lake Superior. I 

 spent three months in the Lake Superic v 

 region in the sum.mer and autumn o 



