BIRDS. 155 



The Crossbills are such uncommon birds in the 

 South, generally confining themselves to fir woods, 

 and feeding on the seeds of the Scotch fir, larch, and 

 other pines, that many persons well conversant with 

 all our feathered friends have never seen one at large. 

 They are sometimes met with in captivity, and are 

 very amusing captives. Flocks of them in exceptional 

 years make their appearance in the eastern and 

 midland counties, and one fortunate observer says, 

 *" I have seen them, hundreds of times, when on the 

 larch, cut the cone from the branch with their beak, 

 and, holding it firmly in both claws, as a hawk 

 would a bird, extract the seeds with the most surpris- 

 ing dexterity and quickness." These birds are called 

 " Crossbills," because, when their beaks are closed, 

 the curved extremities cross each other. 



Although crows and rooks nest in high trees, they 

 are much more birds of fields and open places ; but 

 the Magpie and Jay, especially the latter, are true 

 wood birds. The mischievous propensities of the 

 Magpie are proverbial, and belong to the whole of 

 the Crow family. This, above all the rest, is con- 

 victed of egg-stealing, and hence a war of extermina- 

 tion is waged against it by gamekeepers, which 

 reduces its numbers, so that now it is nowhere 

 truly common. The Jay is a handsome, but a very 

 noisy, unmusical screecher, and of a quarrelsome 

 nature. One is almost certain to hear, if not to see 

 jays, in most woods, for they get up a squabble 

 amongst themselves incessantly, and in consequence 

 are often shot for their trouble. Montague says that 

 a jay " will at intervals imitate the bleating of a lamb, 



