THE CEOSSBILL 



(Loxia curvirostra) 



BEFORE leaving the Finches we must pay a little attention 

 to the habits and economy of one of the most singular species 

 in this large and important family of birds. This is the 

 Common Crossbill, one of a little group of species that differs 

 from all other known birds in the formation of the bill. As 

 the name aptly implies, the two mandibles, instead of being 

 one exactly under the other, as in most birds, cross each 

 other at the tip, in some species for a considerable distance. 

 It is also a curious fact that the young birds are hatched 



