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 fallen cones. 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 was in 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. 

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