AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 



205 



pine-forests of the Guadarrama mountains, near San 

 lldefonso, and have heard of its occurrence in many 

 parts of that country. We have generally found the 

 Crossbill very tame and easy of approach, and a nock 

 of these birds busily employed in feeding on the 

 seeds of a snow-laden fir-tree is a beautiful and most 

 interesting sight. Their actions in quest of food 

 very much resemble those of the smaller Parrots as 

 they cling to and clamber about the large cones, 



Crossbills on Fir-tree. 



from which they extract the seeds with wonderful 

 rapidity. In confinement we have found this species, 

 though it soon becomes perfectly tame, invariably 

 very restless, and constantly climbing over all parts 

 of its cage as if seeking to escape. As above men- 

 tioned, fir-seeds are the natural and favourite food ; 

 but these birds will readily feed on hemp-seed and 

 almost any of our common berries. At pp. 190, 191 



