PINE-WOOD STUDIES 19 



beautiful to watch. Their plumage is various; 

 bright red, orange, yellow, and green, but no two 

 quite alike. Once, and once only, have they been 

 observed on the confines of my garden; then 

 they were feeding upon the scarlet fruit of the 

 rowan or mountain ash. Their partiality to this 

 food was amply testified by the way in which they 

 completely denuded the trees. 



Here is the interesting and quaintly- told account 

 of how the crossbills first appeared in this country. 

 " The yeere 1593 was a greate and exceeding yeere 

 of apples; and there were greate plenty of strange 

 birds, that shewed themselves at the time the apples 

 were full rype, who fedde uppon the kernells onely 

 of those apples, and haveinge a bill with one beake 

 wrythinge over the other, which would presently bore 

 a greate hole in one of the apples, and make way to 

 the kernells. They were of the bignesse of a bull- 

 finch; the henne right like the henne of the bull- 

 finch in coulour; the cocke a very glorious bird, in 

 a manner al redde or yellowe on the brest, backe, 

 and head. The oldest man living never heard or 

 reade of any such like bird; and the thinge most 

 to bee noted was that it seemed thet came out of 

 some country not inhabited, for that they at the first 

 would abide shooting at them, either with pellet, 

 bo we, or other engine, and not remove till they were 

 stricken downe; moreover, they would abide the 



