STUFFING THE CROSSBILLS. 9 



fruit to get at the pips. They come generally in the winter, 

 but often stay until the spring, and then they may breed here, 

 although it is very seldom that their nests are found. They 

 breed in Norway and Sweden, and nest very early in the year, 

 and their nest seems to be like a missel thrush's, and is placed 

 in fir-trees. Their eggs are white with just a touch of blue or 

 green, and spotted with brown spots. ' ; 



CROSSBILL. 



" There, that is all that seems to be worth noticing, but we 

 have got a prize worth having. I am afraid they will not stop 

 and breed. There are not enough pine woods about, and 

 they appear to be fond of going from place to place, so that 

 it is not likely they will be here in the spring." 



While he talked, Frank quickly and skilfully skinned and 

 cleaned the birds, and then he painted the inside of the skins 

 with a solution of corrosive sublimate dissolved in spirits of 

 wine, whith is a most excellent preservative and much more 

 cleanly to handle than arsenical soap. Then he loosely stuffed 

 them with cotton-wool, smoothed the feathers, and placed them 

 on a shelf to dry. 



" Now, Frank," said Jimmy plaintively, " what are you going 



