176 



BIRDS. 



ities, is a rare straggler from the North, and has occurred 

 biit twice in England in Sussex and Middlesex. 



Pine Grosbeak. An exceedingly rare straggler from the 

 far North, the validity of even the few that have reached 

 these islands being questioned. 



A local resident, though more commonly seen in winter, 

 the Crossbill is distinguished from every other British 



bird, except its rare congener, by the scissors-like bill, the 



mandibles of which cross at the tip. Its plumage is dull 



Crossbill crimson - Jt breeds regularly in some Scottish 



pine - forests, but its breeding in England 



and Ireland is exceedingly irregular. Crossbills were 



unusually plentiful in Shropshire during the winter 



1894-95. l The food of _ this bird consists of the seeds 



of the fir, spruce/ larch, and kindred trees, its bill being 



1 Caradoc and Severn Valley Field Club ' Kecord,' 1895. 



