THE COMMON CROSSBILL 51 



fir, enclosing a cup-shaped structure of dry grass and lichen ; the lining being 

 formed of somewhat finer materials, mixed with moss, wool, or feathers. 



The eggs number from four to five, but rarely exceed four; they vary in 

 colouring from greenish-blue to greyish-white, and are spotted, speckled, and some- 

 times almost streaked with dark brown ; there are also underlying spots of pale 

 reddish brown, and the larger end is occasionally dusted with greyish. The 

 specimen figured on our plate is from the collection of A. B. Farn, Esq. 



Whilst feeding their young the Crossbill feeds largely upon caterpillars, and 

 other larvae, also the chrysalides of a little moth, as well as buds of trees ; but 

 later, as the fir- and pine-cones ripen, it extracts the seeds with its powerful man- 

 dibles and feasts upon them. Berries of various kinds are largely eaten, and 

 Seebohm says that the Crossbill is very fond of apples, but this is not strictly 

 correct, for it simply tears the fruit to pieces and drops it, eating only the pips ; 

 I frequently observed the destructive part in the case of a pair of caged Crossbills 

 once in my possession, but they never ate the pips. 



Lord Lilford (Birds of Northamptonshire, Vol. I, pp. 205-6) observes: "We 

 have generally found the Crossbills very tame and easy of approach, and a flock 

 of these birds, busily employed in feeding on the seeds of a snow-laden fir-tree, is 

 a beautiful and most interesting sight. Their actions in quest of food very much 

 resemble those of the smaller Parrots as they cling to and clamber about the large 

 cones, from which they extract the seeds with wonderful rapidity. In confinement 

 we have found this species, though it soon becomes perfectly tame, invariably very 

 restless, and constantly climbing over all parts of its cage as if seeking to escape. 

 As above mentioned, fir-seeds are the natural and favourite food ; but these birds 

 will readily feed on hemp-seed, and almost any of our common berries." "Although 

 we have found our tame birds very fond of the pips of apples, we never could 

 induce them to extract the said pips from the fruit for themselves." * 



My own experience of the Crossbill as a cage-bird agrees very closely with 

 the above as regards its disposition and behaviour : the following are my notes on 

 this species: In the winter of 1886-7, my friend Mr. J. Johnston gave me a pair 

 of Crossbills, and within a week the cock-bird would take sunflower seeds from 

 my fingers. These birds are quiet but amusing creatures, much like Parrots in 

 their actions. I placed their seed in one of the ordinary tin hoppers to prevent 

 their wasting it, but in two days they had found out how to lift up the lid at the 

 top, after which the cock-bird almost invariably took his seeds out there, clinging 

 head downwards to the wires as he fed : in a few days the Crossbills became 

 accustomed to their cage, and immediately set to work to do all the mischief they 



* My birds always did so from the first, though they did not eat them when extracted. 



