THE CORN-CRAKE 79 



is of a reddish-brown colour. It is a regular visitant to Britain in 

 summer, arriving in April and leaving in October. It lives in fields 

 and nestles and runs among the long grass. The name is expressive 

 of its cry, which may be so exactly imitated by drawing a quill 

 sharply across the teeth of a comb, that the bird may be decoyed 

 by the sound until quite close to the decoy-man. 



FIG. 50. THE CORN-CRAKE. 



The Corn-crake is very averse to rising on the wing, and the young 

 when taken feign death with admirable accuracy, nor do they move 

 until they imagine that the intruder is safely out of the way. Once 

 a parent bird assumed a death-like appearance in presence of cap- 

 ture of its young, but on these being released and safely ensconced 

 in the long grass it opened its eyes and fled with a crake. The nest 

 is formed of dried grass, collected and worked into some depression 

 in the ground, and contains from eight to twelve eggs, of a greyish- 

 yellow, covered with dark brown spots. The length of the bird is 

 about 9 in. It feeds on worms, slugs, and insects, also, in due 

 season, corn. 



DESTRUCTIVE 



The CROSSBILL (Loxia curvirostra) belongs to the family Frin- 

 gillinae and sub-family Loxinae (Crossbills). It is found chiefly in 

 the northern countries of Europe and occasionally visits Great Bri- 

 tain, sometimes in great numbers, and apparently for abstracting 

 the seeds from fir cones, for which the bill is peculiarly adapted. It 

 is from 6 to 6J in. in length. The old male has a red plumage, 

 and the young male a reddish one, inclining to yellow ; the female 

 is of a greenish colour. The birds build their nests and breed at all 

 seasons of the year, in December, as in March, April and May. The 



