COMMON CROSSBILL. WHITE- WINGED CROSSBILL. 91 



" And, by all the world forsaken, 



Sees he now, with zealous care 

 At the ruthless nail of iron, 

 A poor bird is striving there. 



" Stained with blood, and never tiring, 



With its beak it doth not cease ; 

 From the cross 't would free the Saviour 

 The Creator's Son release. 



" And the Saviour speaks in mildness : 



* Blest be thou of all the good; 

 Bear, as token of this moment, 

 Marks of blood and holy rood.' 



" And that bird is called the crossbill 

 Covered quite with blood so clear ; 

 In the groves of pine it singeth 



Songs, like legends, strange to hear.'* 



Habitat Northern Europe. 



SPECIES 89 THE WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, 



Loxia leucoptera. Linn. 

 Bec-croise leucoptere. Temm. 



THIS rare crossbill has, in a similar manner with the pine 

 bullfinch, only occurred in a single instance in Ireland, and that 

 also in the vicinity of Belfast, January, 1802 ; since that time 

 it has been obtained, in a few rare instances, in England. Si- 

 milar in habits to the preceding, it even appears to be more 

 careless of danger, as its describers record the fact of its being 

 frequently captured by the hand during snow time. 

 Habitat Northern Europe. 



FAMILY XV. ALAUDIN,E (LARKS). 



GENUS XLY. ALAUDA (LARK). 



SPECIES 90 THE SKYLARK. 

 Alauda arvensis. Linn. 



Alouette des champs. Temm. 



OF the many birds passing under the notice of the ornitholo- 

 gist, all are found adequately endowed by nature ; some with 

 a perfection of form, and others with beauty and brilliancy 

 of plumage. Some there are which to a casual observer 



