the Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra). 165 



posed to be an adult female ; but it proved, on dissection, to 

 be a male : from which it may be inferred that the males 

 assume, as their intermediate dress, a much livelier yellow 

 than the adult female ; and, as the season of love advances, 

 gradually become orange and red. As it appears from inspec- 

 tion of this bird, that a slight, but distinct, tinge of orange 

 on its breast feathers is visible, may not the supposition 

 be here hazarded, that they do not arrive at their greatest 

 perfection of beauty in one year ? A male, taken in February, 

 1836, was of a most brilliant red, and leaves far behind it 

 any I had previously seen, and, apparently, though thus 

 early, was in its most perfect wooing plumage. The mandibles 

 of these birds are indiscriminately crossed, though in by far 

 the greater proportion of those that came into my hands, the 

 upper crossed the lower one to the right.* These busy 

 strangers, with their incessant twittering, were continually 

 seen flying from tree to tree, curiously examining every fir 

 apple, and with one of their strong feet grasping the twig, and 

 with the other the fruit, of the fir ; sometimes in a horizontal, 

 sometimes in a vertical, position ; turning up and down with 

 as much facility as if on a pivot; swaying their bodies to and 

 fro in almost every possible attitude; breaking, with their 

 strong, crossed, and admirably adapted bills, the scaly case; 

 and extricating the seed from every cone. It was highly 

 amusing to observe them in their indefatigable avocations, 

 which, on their first appearance, was a matter of no great 

 difficulty, as they seemed totally unused to the busy haunts 

 of men, and had not yet learned to fear the approach of an 

 enemy. So tame were they, as to be but little alarmed at the 

 report of a gun, even when near them ; but cruel experience 

 soon taught them to be more wary, and to court the gaze of 

 the destroyer less wantonly, although at no time could they 

 be said to be wild or shy. The surprising dissimilarity in 

 these birds was truly remarkable ; some orange red, some 

 yellow, some olive, some green, and some dusky ; and one, 

 shot from a flock in June, 1836, so dingy as almost to war- 

 rant the conclusion that it had chosen for its sleeping place a 

 chimney. What seemed most puzzling to me was, that, up 

 to March, they were gregarious ; after that, they evidently 

 went in pairs for about a month, during which time they were 

 in their brightest colours ; afterwards they were again seen in 

 flocks, and began evidently to assume a less bright plumage, 

 as may be plainly seen from specimens shot at different inter- 



* Only three out of twenty-seven that 1 examined were crossed to 

 the left. 



