38 



" Quite young crossbills have the beak normally formead s in 

 other birds but the already unequally developed muscles of the 

 head shew in which direction the under mandible will cross the 

 upper one. This condition of the beaks crossing on the one side 

 or the other is therefore not determined by the way in which the 

 bird uses its beak (as was formerly thought) but is already fixed 

 in the embryo (or young before birth.)" 



Secondly, as to breeding habits. 



" They breed not only in spring bat sometimes in the depth 

 of winter, sometimes in summer and sometimes in spring, 

 according to the plenty of food and with small regard to the 

 weather. 



Their nests, eggs and young, have been found in exceedingly 

 severe weather and while much snow was present." 



Thirdly, with regard to their plumage and its changes. 



" The young, before their first moult, are grey spotted and 

 flecked with black. At the first moult they become yellowish or 

 yellowish green and at the second the females acquire a more 

 decidedly yellow or green dress while the males take on the red 

 plumage for the first time, been deep dusky red or reddish. At 

 the third moult and onwards the females do not change but the 

 males become a brighter red and take on a more vivid hue at 

 each succeeding moult." 



The consecutive changes detailed above form the normal course 

 but there are all sorts of graduations and variations to be met 

 with owing to the fact that these birds do not undergo a complete 

 moult at any definite time of year as in the case of the majority 

 of birds, but gradually during the whole course of the year they 

 change their old feathers for new, so that it is a rare thing to 

 come across a bird in one uniform dress except in the case of 

 the very old birds which are, of course, in a great minority. 



In this gradual moult we may see another instance of the 

 adaptation of the bird for life in a high and cold latitude. 



I have every hope of again meeting with my friends the Cross- 

 bills another year and of making further observations of their 

 most interesting and unusual manner of life. 



