128 THE CROSSBILL. 



liancy of eye, and ardor of spirit, are those of the colt, 

 and though treated with no remarkable care, she has 

 never been disabled by the illness of a day, or sickened 

 by the drench of the farrier. With birds it is probably 

 the same as with other creatures, and the eagle, the 

 raven, the parrot, &c., in a domestic state attain great 

 longevity ; and though we suppose them naturally tena- 

 cious of life, yet, in a really wild state, they would 

 probably expire before the period which they attain 

 when under our attention and care. And this is much 

 the case with man, who probably outlives most other 

 creatures ; for though excess may often shorten, and 

 disease or misfortune terminate his days, yet naturally 

 he is a long-lived animal. His " threescore years and 

 ten" are often prolonged by constitutional strength, 

 and by the cares, the loves, the charities, of human 

 nature. As the decay of his powers awakens solicitude, 

 duty and affection increase their attentions, and the 

 spark of life only expires when the material is ex- 

 hausted. 



That rare bird the crossbill (loxia curvirostra) occa- 

 sionally visits the orchards in our neighborhood, coming 

 in little parties to feed upon the seeds of the apple ; 

 and, seldom as it appears, is always noticed by the mis- 

 chief it does to the fruit, by cutting it asunder with its 

 well-constructed mandibles, in order to obtain the ker- 

 nels. A native of those extensive pine forests in the 

 neighborhood of the Rhine, it makes excursions into 

 various parts of Europe in search of change of food ; 

 and, though several instances are recorded of its visits 

 to our island, I know but one mention of its having 

 bred in England. A pair was brought to me very early 

 in August, and the breast of the female being nearly 

 bare of feathers, as is observable in sitting birds, it is 

 very probable that she had a nest in the neighborhood. 



Gesner has called the common rook (corvus fru- 

 gilegus) a corn-eating bird. Linnaeus has somewhat 

 lightened this epithet by considering it only as a gath- 

 erer of corn ; to neither of which names do I believe 

 it entitled, as it appears to live solely upon grubs, 

 various insects, and worms. It has at times great diffi- 



