56 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



breeding-range, and has occurred on migration in Southern 

 Sweden, Heligoland, and France ; while Mr. Howard Saunders 

 records two specimens from the south of Spain. 



Habits. Mr. Seebohm observes : " The marshy forest-banks 

 of the great Siberian rivers are a very favourite resort of 

 this bird ; and in the Baltic Provinces, where it is common, 

 and in the valley of the Upper Volga, it is described as fre- 

 quenting willows and other low trees in marshy districts." 



Nest. Described by Mr. Seebohm as built in the fork of a 

 small bush, or amongst climbing-plants not far from the ground, 

 and resembling rather that of a Warbler than that of a Finch. 

 It is deep, carefully made, so slenderly put together as to be 

 semi-transparent when held up to the light, and composed of 

 long grass-stalks and lined with horse-hair. 



Eggs. Four to five in number, of a beautiful blue colour, 

 with small underlying spots of reddish brown, and darker over- 

 lying spots of purplish brown or black, chiefly collected round 

 the larger end. Axis, 075-0-85 inch; diam., 0-55-0-6. 



THE CROSSBILLS. GENUS LOXIA. 



Loxia, Linn. Syst., Nat., i., p. 299 (1766, pt). 



Type, Z. curvirostra Linn. 



The Crossbills, so called from their mandibles crossing eacl 

 other at the end of the bill, are easily recognised by this pecu- 

 liarity. In the very young birds this feature is not noticeable, 

 the bill being apparently like that of any other Finch, but the 

 mandibles begin to be irregular in shape as soon as the birds 

 are full-sized. 



The common Crossbill varies very much in size, the largest 

 birds being found in Northern Europe, and possessing such big 

 bills that they have generally been considered a separate species, 

 and have been called the Parrot Crossbill (L. pytiopsittacus), 

 while the American form (L. americana) is very much smaller, 

 and the Himalayan one (L. himalayand] the smallest of all. 

 They are all, however, mere races of the ordinary Crossbill of 

 Europe (L. curvirostra). 



