

CROSSBILLS AT WORK 113 



that of a small dragon-fly, and the birds manage to ex- 

 tract this without breaking it, or the light husk which 

 envelops the kernel. They could be seen " husking" 

 this, and pushing the " wing " and the husk out of their 

 mouths with their tongues, just as a parrot does. The 

 kernel, when extracted, is no larger than a mustard seed, 

 and tastes like a morsel of Brazil-nut flavoured with 

 turpentine. The crossbills evidently consider it very 

 delicious, and would not taste buckwheat seeds, which 

 were inserted into cones as an experiment. The apples 

 which they are usually accused of destroying were 

 perhaps not ripe enough to attract them, for neither 

 these nor the peaches which were hanging in numbers 

 on the walls close by could tempt them from the 

 resinous dainty of the pine-trees. 



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