CROSSBILL. 203 



calling it (Hist. Nat. Ois. iii. pp. 449, 450) a defect an 

 error of Nature, which could not fail to be very inconvenient 

 to the bird in feeding though he had the direct evidence of 

 several observers to the contrary.* This view was first 

 strenuously opposed by Townson (Tracts and Observations 

 on Natural History &c. London: 1799, pp. 116-123) 

 who, having carefully studied the Crossbill's habits in Ger- 

 many charged the account given by "the French Pliny" 

 with being " as void of sound philosophy as of the knowledge 

 of the facts," and " characterised by strong marks of error, 

 carelessness and presumption." The observations of this 

 naturalist are in nearly every particular apt and accurate, 

 but much yet remained to be known, and it was not till 

 thirty years later that the beautiful structure and mode of 

 application of this wonderfully specialized organ was explained 

 (Zool. Journ. iv. pp. 459-465, pi. xiv. figs. 1-7). The 

 description then given, with a copy of its accompanying 

 illustrations, is here reproduced in a condensed form, for, so 

 greatly has the knowledge of zoological anatomy advanced 

 since it first appeared, that much which was then wanted by 

 even the scientific reader for its proper understanding is for- 

 tunately now unnecessary.! 



The specimen examined was one in which the upper 

 mandible, or, to speak technically, the maxilla, curved to 



* De Buffon's special animosity on this point may be suspected to have arisen 

 from an old legend (which however he does not notice) best known to English 

 readers by Mr. Longfellow's version of Mosen's poem, to the effect that this bird 

 acquired its peculiar conformation of bill and coloration of plumage from its 

 effoits to release the suffering Saviour at the crucifixion. Schwenckfeld (op. cit. 

 pp. 253, 254) has given this pretty fable in the "egregium Elegiacum carmen 

 D. D. Johannis Majoris poetce celeberrimi " of some fifteen couplets, from which 



one may here be quoted : 







Fama est, has [sc. aves] rostro tentasse revellere clavos, 

 In cruce pendentem qvi tenuere Deum. 



The whole poem has been lately reprinted (Notes and Queries, Ser. 5, vii. 

 p. 505). 



t It must be stated also that certain anatomical terms at that time in vogue 

 have now no longer the same meaning as then, while others have completely 

 dropped out of use. The Editor has therefore tried to replace them by their 

 modern equivalents. 



