35 



position, upside down, sideways down and all ways they are 

 busily engaged in raking out the seeds from the cones. Silent 

 and busy ! I never heard one call while in a tree and the only 

 sound to be heard was the pattering on the ground as they let 

 the rifled cones fall. Busy they must be as anyone who will try 

 to take the seeds from a larch cone will easily understand. The seeds 

 are small and there are not many in a cone. The Crossbill is not 

 a small bird and has a plump muscular body to support. Perforce 

 therefore he must work busily during the short winter day to 

 obtain sufficient to satisfy his appetite. But if he has to labour 

 hard for his living he need never fear being out of work. His 

 only competitor, here at least, is the squirrel and be the weather 

 ever so hard his food is still within his reach. 



Parrotlike they crawl and climb with help of beak and foot 

 and gather together in bunches where cones are many. Well 

 disposed to one another they seem, and there is no quarreling 

 although they feed so close to one another and the same cone must 

 often be coveted by two or more. Perhaps they have no time 

 to quarrel. 



One would often break off a cone and holding it in his beak 

 swing himself up into the nearest horizontal bough and sitting 

 there, holding the cone parrotwise in one foot would take out the 

 seeds from the cone at leisure. Having finished, the cone is 

 dropped and away sklles the crossbill down the nearest branch to 

 the store of cones. It does not take long before the combined 

 efforts of the flock or of as many as can get into the one tree, clear 

 off all the cones, which they do most effectually, and then they 

 move off to the nearest inviting looking tree again. 



During the whole time I had them under observation I never 

 saw them in any other tree than a larch and only on one occasion 

 on the ground. This time they flew right out on to the moor 

 and settled on the ling, where they remained quite a long time. 



While feeding they generally seem to have several sentries posted 

 in the tops of the neighbouring larches. 



I took these birds to be sentries as if they or one of them rose 

 with a loud call the rest of the flock followed them without more 

 ado, generally however leaving two or three busy feeders behind 

 who joined the main body later. 



About sunset they seem to cease feeding and sit about in the 

 tree tops. 



