FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. SOTf 



Though the house finch feeds on the seeds of the wild 

 mustard and of other wild herbaceous plants, as wtII as on 

 the seeds of the cottonwood and other trees, it is also very 

 destructive to the seeds, fruits, and tender young plants of 

 gardens. As it enjoys the society of man and seeks his 

 protection, when abundant it is often very destructive in 

 his cultivated grounds, and gains only his enmity. 



CROSSBILL 



The American Crossbills, or Red Crossbills, are great 

 wanderers. Their appearance in any locality is erratic, and, 

 while we consider them as a winter resident in the United 

 States, we should not be surprised to encounter them during 

 any month of the year. Their range seldom extends beyond 

 the southern boundary of the States bordering the Great 

 Lakes. The males are considerably brighter in color than 

 their mates. The feathers are marked with red only on the 

 tips, and at close range the observer might not feel justified 

 in calhng them red crossbills. Their habits remind one of a 

 parrot. In moving about the trees they often progress by 

 means of both feet and bill. It is not an uncommon occur- 

 rence to see them grasp a twig in their beak and thus pull 

 themselves along the branch. When cracking seeds or when 

 eating fruit, the morsel is sometimes held in the claw as 

 they eat while perched on one foot. 



The formation of the freak beak facilitates the removal 

 of seeds from the cones of the various coniferous trees. As 

 many of these trees do not bear cones some years, the cross- 

 bills are of uncertain occurrence. Their movements are 



