BiCKNELL on the Nesting of the Red Crossbill. 9 



. and more select from withoiat inwards. An exterior of bristling 

 spruce twigs loosely arranged siirrounded a mass of matted shreds 

 of cedar bark, which formed the pi'incipal body of the structure, a 

 few strips of the same appearing around the upper border, the 

 whole succeeded on the inside by a sort of felting of finer material, 

 which received the scanty lining of black horse-hair, fine rootlets, 

 grass stems, pieces of string, and two or three feathers. This shal- 

 low felting of the inner nest can apparently be removed intact from 

 the body of the structure, which, besides the above-mentioned mate- 

 rials, contained small pieces of moss, leaves, grass, string, cottony 

 substances, and the green foliage of cedar. The nest measured in- 

 ternally two and one half inches in diameter by over one and a 

 quarter in depth ; being in diameter externally about four inches, 

 and rather shallow in appearance. 



The fresh eggs are in ground color of a decided greenish tint, al- 

 most immaculate on the smaller end, but on the opposite side with 

 irregular spots and dottings of lavender-brown of slightly varying 

 shade, interspersed with a few heavy surface-spots of dark purple- 

 brown. There is no approach in the arrangement of these to a cii'cle, 

 but between the apex of the larger end, and the greatest diameter of 

 the egg, is a fine hair-like surface line ; in two examples it forms a 

 complete though irregular circle, and encloses the principal spots. 

 In the other egg, which is the largest, this line is not quite complete 

 and the primary blotches are wanting, but the secondary markings 

 are cox'respondingly larger and moi'e numerous. In another egg 

 there are two perfect figures of 3 formed on the sides by the 

 secondary marks, one of them large and singularly symmetrical. 

 The eggs measure respectively .74 x .5Q, .75 x .58, .78 x .59. 



I take the liberty of quoting from a communication received from 

 Mr. G. A. Boardman in relation to this species, that in Maine " the 

 nest has been found in thick trees, also in hardwood trees and in 

 holes"; also that usually "some warm material (old-man's-beard, a 

 species of hanging moss) is used," and that " the bird sits very 

 close." 



We still seem to be but partially acquainted with this bird's com- 

 plete life-history. Its peculiarities of anatomical structure seem 

 no less marked than its eccentricities of character. Indeed, the 

 general laws of geographical limitation obtaining Avith other species 

 seem in this almost to be overruled by an inherent element of capri- 

 ciousness, which, though partially shared by others of its genus, is 



