264 THE PARROT CROSSBILL. 



In captivity they were quickly reconciled, and soon became very 

 familiar. As, at first, I was not aware what food would suit them, I 

 fixed branches of the larch against the sides of the room in which I 

 had confined them, and threw a quantity of the cones on the floor. I 

 found that they not only closely searched the cones on the branches, 

 but, in a few days, not one was left in the room that had not been 

 pried into. I gave them canary and hemp seed ; but, thinking the 

 cones were both amusement and employment, I continued to furnish 

 them with a plentiful supply. I had about four dozen of them ; and 

 frequently, whilst I have been in the room, they would fly down, 

 seize a cone with their beak, carry it to a perch, quickly transfer it to 

 their claws, and in a very short time empty it of its seeds, as I have 

 very many times witnessed, to my surprise and amusement. As the 

 spring advanced, the male birds in the plantations were frequently 

 singing on the tops of the firs, in low but very agreeable notes ; yet 

 they continued in flocks, and were seen in some parts of the country 

 until the beginning of June. I had hopes of their breeding in con- 

 finement, and I accordingly kept them in different rooms, fixing the 

 tops of young fir trees on the floor, and against the walls, and supply- 

 ing them with as great a variety of food as possible ; but all to no pur- 

 pose, as neither those I had confined in this manner, nor those in 

 cages, ever showed any inclination to breed. They are amusing birds 

 in confinement, as they have some of the habits of the Parrot tribe; 

 climbing about the cage with both beak and claws. 



The PARROT CROSSBILL (Loxia Pytiopsiltacus). In its 

 colours and proportions this bird is very like the common 

 species, of which it is considered by some naturalists to be 

 merely a variety. Macgillivray, Yarrell, and all our best 

 modern ornithologists, however, agree in giving it a specific 

 distinction. The skin of this bird is frequently brought 

 from Germany by dealers in bird-skins, but very few live 

 specimens have been taken in Britain. It inhabits northern 

 Europe chiefly, where it is said to breed in May, laying 

 four or five ash-coloured eggs, spotted with red at the 

 larger end. M. Nilsson includes this species in his * Birds 

 of Sweden,' but mentions that specimens are more fre- 

 quently obtained in other parts of Scandinavia. Mr. W. 

 C. Hewitson, in his ' Notes on the Ornithology of Norway,' 

 says, * The common Crossbills would now and then cross 

 our road through the forest, but in such rapid flight that it 

 required great exertion to keep pace with them as they 

 passed from tree to tree, examining the cones of the pines.' 



