The Zoologist — August, 1870. 2237 



orange birds might certainly have been bred very early in the 

 preceding spring, but I think not, and I almost feel confident that this 

 orange-red colour is a gradual transition to the red dress, or else that 

 the mature male crossbill owns two dresses — i.e., that some birds of 

 the same age are orange-red, and others deep red. Of one thing, 

 however, 1 am perfectly convinced, that none of the young males 

 obtain the full deep red dress at the Jirst autumnal moult. In the 

 year 1863 I obtained the males breeding in the same woods in three 

 different dresses— ;^Va7, in the early striped dress above described 

 (these were evidently birds of the year) ; secondly, in this orange-red 

 dress; and thirdly, in the deep red dress. I am at present of opinion 

 that this orange-red dress is a transition gradually assumed between 

 the first autumnal dress and the deep red plumage in which we 

 usually see the male crossbill depicted, and which I consider their 

 standard livery, and worn by them longer than any other. I may 

 remark, however, that in our forests we meet with far more of the deep 

 red birds than of these orange-plumage males. Respecting the bright 

 yellow-green dress which the old male crossbills occasionally assume 

 (but which, although so rare that we very seldom meet with it, we must 

 nevertheless still consider as normal), it is h^-d to say at what age it 

 is assumed, but we may reasonably infer at a very advanced period of 

 life in a slate of nature ; though it is said that as soon as either a 

 male crossbill or grosbeak is confined in a cage, it changes from red 

 to bright yellow-green at once, and this colour it wears till it dies. 

 This may or may not be the effect of confinement, but as I have killed 

 the old birds of both in this yellow- green plumage in a state of nature, 

 1 for one do not hesitate to pronounce it normal. This latter dress can 

 never be confounded with the yellow-orange plumage of youth by any 

 one who has had opportunities of comparing the two. In the summer 

 the red dress of the male crossbill appears to become darker, and the 

 only change that I can observe in the female is that the yellow 

 shading on the head and rump become brighter with age, but always 

 brightest in the breeding season."] 



[The following observations on the breeding habits of the crossbill 

 from the same accomplished writer, will, I am sure, be considered in 

 place here : — " I fully agree with Thompson that ' he is inclined to 

 consider the crossbills as a wandering tribe, having no proper home, 

 but who pitch their tent and take up their residence at a place just so 

 long as it suits them, without contemplating a return to any particular 

 region.' This is peculiarly the case in our forests : tbey appear to 



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