304 GLEANINGS FROM NATURE. 



jaw and these strong, oppositely curved mandibles, 

 are able to pry open the tightly appressed scales of 

 the cones and extract at pleasure the nutritious oily 

 seeds. Other birds are equally fond of these seeds, 

 but have to wait for the alternate thawing arid freez- 

 ing of spring to loosen the scales. 



In size the cross-bill is somewhat larger than the 

 English sparrow, measuring about 6J inches in length. 

 The wings are very long and pointed, reaching beyond 

 the middle of the narrow, forked tail. The color of 

 the bird varies greatly according to sex and age. The 

 old males are brick-red, darkest across the back, and 

 have the wings and tail a uniform blackish-brown. 

 The females of all ages are dull greenish-olive with a 

 yellowish tinge on the crown and rump; while the 

 young males are a curious mixture of brick-red, 

 greenish-olive, and yellowish. 



There are two species of cross-bills occurring in 

 Indiana, and the above description applies to the 

 most common one which is known by the name of 

 the American or red cross-bill. The other species is 

 the white-winged cross-bill and may be readily dis- 

 tinguished- by the presence of two conspicuous white 

 bars across each wing. It has the same habits as the 

 one above described, but has been noted in the State 

 only on a few occasions. 



The scientific name of the American cross-bill is 

 Loxia curvirostra L., from two Latin words meaning 

 "crooked" and "curve-bill" ; while that of the white- 

 winged species is Loxia leacoptera Gmelin, the word 

 " leucoptera " meaning " white-wing." Thus the scien- 

 tific name of each kind of plant or animal is often 



