THE FINCHES 89 



luck has been recorded in Latin ; but, for myself, I have seen the 

 orchards year after year, generally very well laden, and, as one may 

 say, waiting, but I have not yet seen them devastated. However, 

 tout vient h qui sait attendre brighter days may be in store. 



The crossbill is not the only bird of the Finch tribe whose food 

 consists, largely, of the seeds of conifers. The pine-finch or grosbeak, 

 though, according to Naumann, 1 he but seeks them on the ground, 

 has similar leanings, but a question of more interest for us who 

 are dealing with British birds, is whether any of our own species 

 both affects and extracts them. As a general proposition, and so 

 far as it applies to the indigenous firs of our woods and plantations, 

 this does not appear to be the case, but the greenfinch will per- 

 severingly attack the cones of some introduced trees of this family, 

 the superior size of which may make it easier for him to pick out 

 their seeds. To do this he does not, as the crossbill generally does, 

 detach the cone, but, hanging head downwards, upon it, or, should 

 this be too difficult, from a tuft of the surrounding pine-needles, inserts 

 his beak between the somewhat widely distended scales, and beats 

 with it upon them so quickly that the noise thus produced has quite 

 a vibratory ring in it, and is sufficiently loud to attract attention and 

 rouse curiosity. In doing this the bird moves its head so con- 

 tinuously and briskly that one is reminded of the way in which the 

 little woodpecker makes its drumming love-note in the spring-time 

 the motion, however, is here more lateral. At last, if successful, 

 it pulls out the seed, and, flying off with it to some " more removed " 

 (or congenial) "ground" as a shrubbery, in which it delights there 

 tastes the reward of its labours, first, however, as in all other such 

 cases, shelling it. 



It is in winter that I have seen the greenfinch acting in this 

 manner, and it is possible that in Scotland, where fir-forests become 

 a feature of the landscape, it may attack the seeds of these in the 

 same manner. If not, however and I have not yet heard of its 



1 Naturgeschichte der Vogel Mitteleuropas, iii. 

 H 



