In the Woods. i6i 



The Pine Finch is a small bird about five inches long. Its ground color 



is gray or grayish brown on the upper and whitish gray on the lower parts. 



Both regions are streaked throughout with dusky brown 



ine IS in. ^^ blackish markings. The wing feathers are yellow at 



Spinus pinus (Wils.). ° " ^ 



their bases, and are edged with yellowish olive. The tail 

 is dusky and all but the middle feathers are yellow at their bases. The bill is 

 conical and acutely pointed. The sexes are alike, the young are similar, and 

 in all plumages the yellow markings obtain. 



The birds nest in evergreen trees, building a structure of fine roots and 

 plant fibres, lined with plant down, hair, and fibre. The eggs resemble those 

 of a Goldfinch in color, but are sparingly spotted with varying shades of 

 brown. They are a little more than three fifths of an inch long, and half an 

 inch in width. 



The birds are found in North America at large, they breed chiefly north 

 of the United States, though there are records from New York State. They 

 winter south to the South Atlantic and Gulf States. 



These little Finches are gregarious, at least during their migrations, and 

 are in habit similar to the Goldfinch, but feed more in pines and kindred 

 trees. 



There are two kinds of Crossbills to be found in Eastern North America. 



They are both readily recognized by their curved bills, crossing at the tips. 



- . -, .... The Red or American Crossbill is a little the larger, 



Loxi.curvirostra minor ' being six inches and one fifth in length, whereas the 



(Brehm). Whlte-wlnged Crossbill is about six inches long. Adult 



males of both species are reddish, the Red Crossbill being deep brick red, 



and its ally rosy red in tint. The females of both are olive green with gray- 



White-winged '^^ suffusions, and the young of both are gray streaked 



Crossbill. birds in general appearance. But in all plumages the 



Loxia leucoptera Gmei. wings of the Red Crossbill are unmarked, while the wings 



of the White-winged Crossbill always show white markings. 



Their breeding habits are similar, both constructing their nests of plant 

 fibre and moss, in pine and other evergreen trees, about twenty feet from 

 the ground. The eggs of both are pale bluish green, spotted with varying 

 shades of brown. They are from three to four in number, about three quar- 

 ters of an inch long, and rather more than half an inch in width. 



The Red Crossbill is irregularly resident in the Alleghanies, in localities 



