A, W. BUTLER. 49 
early spring. Breeds in February and March while the 
snow is still four or five feet deep on the level and the tem- 
perature below zero (Fahr.). Have taken fully fledged 
young in early April” (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club. 1881, p. 229). 
Mr. C. W. Beckham (“Birds of Kelson County, Kentucky,” 
Ky. Geol. Surv., p. 24) says: “A flock of six or eight of 
these birds appeared here on Nov. 18, 1882, in some pine 
trees, the first time I ever observed them. They remained 
only a day or two, and none were seen until the 17th of March 
following, when I shot eight out of a flock of about twenty 
in the same place where they had previously been seen. 
Several flocks were observed about the same time near 
Bloomfield and Glenville in this county, and excited con- 
siderable comment on account of their queer bills. The 
weather at the time was quite mild, so that their appearance 
here was probably due to some other cause.” 
The winter of 1882-3 they were unusually abundant in 
many localities between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River. 
Prof. B. W. Evermann first observed them at Bloomington, 
Ind., Feb. 10, 1893. This was the second record for the 
state. For some time after they were common in Monroe 
County. March 15, 1883, Mr. E. R. Quick reported having 
seen a single specimen near Brookville, Ind. April 2, my 
attention was attracted to a peculiar crackling sound which 
came from the pine trees in my yard at Brookville. Close 
investigation revealed the fact that the cause was a flock of 
Crossbills. They were shelling the seeds out of the pine 
cones, and the breaking of the cones made the sound which 
attracted my attention. I observed others were upon the 
ground feeding upon the seeds in the fallencones. April 3, 
I saw six more in my yard. April 4, I saw one in a flock 
of Pine Finches. April 5, Mr. Quick noted one. Of those 
observed but one wasin the red plumage. Prof. B. W. Ever- 
mann saw a few at Delpha, Carroll County, Ind., the middle 
of March, 1883. At the same place about twelve were seen 
December 26, 1884. 
4 
