THE CROSSBILL. 



Loxia curvirostra. 



S its name denotes, the great 

 specialty of this bird is the 

 peculiar formation of its beak. 

 At first sight it would appear 

 to be unnatural and useless, 

 but is in reality exactly fitted 

 to the purpose of obtaining the 

 food that Nature has assigned 

 to the bird. 



But the formation of the 

 beak is not the only special 

 feature of the Crossbill, as the 

 changes of plumage are re- 

 markable. When young, the 

 male birds are greenish-brown, 

 with a tinge of olive, the whole 

 being speckled with darker 

 brown; they are, however, 

 lighter upon the under parts ; 

 but after the first moult a red 

 tinge prevails, occasioned by 

 the tipping of the feathers 

 with that hue. The red is 



