WILD LIFE OF ORCHARD AND FIELD 



depths of the Catskills or Adirondacks, where it 

 spends its summer. 



The family of sparrows, finches, and buntings 

 the Fringillidae supplies more of the winter 

 woodland birds than any other single group, the 

 list of those regularly present in January including 

 the pine-grossbeak, the red and the white-winged 

 crossbills, the two red-poll linnets, the pine, grass, 

 and gold finches, the song, tree, and English 

 sparrows, besides an occasional straggler like 

 the purple finch, cardinal, and white-throat. The 

 first six mentioned are polar bred, and return to 

 their native heaths at the earliest intimation of 

 spring. The pine-grossbeak is a big, clumsy 

 looking bird, with a plumage reminding you of a 

 blossoming clover-field a mixture of red and dull 

 green. It has found out what its thick, strong 

 bill was made for, and crushes the scales of the 

 tough pine-cones as though they were paper. The 

 pine-grossbeaks often come into the village streets, 

 hopping about in search of almost anything to 

 eat, and are very tame and interesting. Their 

 note is a cheery one, and when captured they thrive 

 well in the cage, eat apple-seeds greedily, and 

 become very entertaining. The pine -finch, or 

 siskin, is its miniature, and seeks much the same 



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