silence during the breeding-season, and may therefore 
easily escape observation amongst the dark-green foliage 
of the pines and firs in which it specially delights and 
finds its favourite food—the seeds of various cones or 
fir-apples. 
A nest of this species, taken in the immediate neigh- 
bourhood of Bournemouth from a tall Scotch fir, and 
containing four nestlings of a few days old, was brought 
to me on April 5, 1890, having been taken on 3rd inst. ; 
the brood could not have been hatched more than a 
week at the outside, I doubt if it had even attained 
that age, and I had great fears about the possibility of 
rearing the youngsters; however, their captor assured 
me that he had great experience in rearing young birds, 
and had no doubt of success in this instance; so I 
confided them to his care, with the most happy result, 
as the four birds are still alive and well at this time of 
writing, January 10, 1891. 
I have kept a good many of this species in captivity, 
their tameness and quaint habits render them most 
interesting as pets; but I have generally found them 
restless and ceaselessly nibbling and working at the 
woodwork of their cages, and could never keep them 
alive for any great length of time. I must, however, 
say that before receiving the four birds above men- 
tioned, all my captives of this species were wild-caught 
birds, and would therefore in all probability be more 
impatient of confinement than these youths who have 
never known the delights of freedom. 
On the vexed question of the plumage of the 
Crossbill, I can only say that every red bird that I ever 
