OF NATURE. 24/ 



their tongues, which are so long as to be 

 coiled round their heads. WhitEc 



GROSBEAK« 



Mr. B. shot a cock grosbeak, which he 

 had observed to haunt his garden for more 

 than a fortnight. I began to accuse this 

 bird of making sad havock among the buds 

 of the cherries, gooseberries, and wall-fruit 

 of all the neighbouring orchards. Upon 

 opening its crop or craw, no buds were to 

 be seen ; but a mass of kernels of the stones 

 of fruits. Mr. observed that this bird 

 frequented the spot where plum-trees 

 grow ; and that he had seen it with some- 

 what hard in its mouth, which it broke 

 with difficulty ; these were the stones of 

 damsons. The Latin ornithologists call this 

 bird coccothraustes, i. e. berry-breaker, be- 

 cause with its large horny beak it cracks 

 and breaks the shells of stone fruits for the 

 sake of the seed or kernel. Birds of this 



