AMERICAN CROSSBILL 



November I, 189$ 

 August 23, 189 6 



MY attention was attracted this after- 

 noon by a flock of about twenty 

 birds flying vigorously and directly to- 

 wards some spruce trees near me. They 

 were uttering a clear, whistling chirp con- 

 stantly as they flew. I was sure they were 

 birds I was unfamiliar with, and when 

 they settled on the tops of the spruces and 

 I brought my glass to bear on them I was 

 delighted to recognize this long-looked for 

 species. There were a few bright colored 

 males, but most of them were the plainer 

 olive females and the striped young birds. 

 They were exceedingly tame, and were 

 busily engaged in crawling up and down 

 the branches and crunching the cone seeds 

 in their bills. They made a decided noise 

 with their wings when they fluttered about, 

 louder than that of an English sparrow. 

 Their crossed bills and short tails are con- 

 spicuous points. 



August, 1896. I saw a large flock to- 

 day as I was sitting on the porch of our 

 new house. I recognized them at once by 

 the notes. Most of them were young birds. 



