THE CROSSBILL 137 



females. I saw a very fine Crossbill lately that had 

 been obtained in the valley between Newburyand Theale, 

 where these birds are to be found most years among the 

 fir-clumps on the higher lying commons. It is said to 

 breed in many of the Southern Counties, but there is no 

 reliable evidence of its doing so in the Midlands. In 

 Scotland it nests in districts where are old pine forests, 

 building a cup-shaped structure of dry grass, moss, and 

 wool, which is placed on twigs, and these on the branch 

 of a fir, close to the stem. From fir-cones their food is 

 extracted, but in the autumn, berries and apple pips are 

 taken, an old name" for the Crossbill being Shell-apple. 

 Many years ago great damage w T as done to some apple 

 orchards by the boring of fruit to extract the pips. 



Although usually a winter visitant, the late Lord 

 Lilford reported having seen large numbers of these 

 birds during the month of June in a district of North 

 Devon. The forest-folk of Thuringia are fond of them 

 as caged pets, considering that they bring luck to the 

 house, and also cure the diseases of the family if the 

 mandibles cross left to right, those of the females, if 

 from right to left, those of the males. I would not now 

 keep any bird in a cage, but I once kept many ; and the 

 most amusing of all these was a Crossbill, who had a 

 large wired-ofT compartment to himself, between one 

 containing a number of avadavats, and another inhabited 

 by Redpoles, Siskins and other birds. He loved to tear 

 open the shells of almonds to get at the nuts. When 

 the little avadavats had gone to sleep, nestling together 

 for warmth, the old Crossbill would sidle up, looking 

 very wicked, and quickly lift the end of their perch. 

 Down fell the small things, master Crossbill watching 

 them with unmistakable delight. At last he made so 



