Order II. PASSERES. 
Tribe IV. Conieostres. 
Family IV. Frixgillid^. 
The eighth Subfamily, 
LOXIANiE, or Crossbills, 
have the Bill more or less long, broad, but compressed towards the tips, which sometimes cross each 
other, and curved, or the upper overlapping that of the lower mandible ; the Wings more or less 
lengthened, pointed, and sometimes rounded ; the Tail moderate and emarginated, or graduated ; the 
Tarsi short, with the Toes moderate. 
LoxiA Linn.* 
Bill moderate, broad at the base, with the culmen much curved, and the sides much compressed to the 
tip, which is prolonged, very acute, entire, and both mandibles cross each other, with the lateral margins 
bent inwards ; the gonys long, and much curved upwards ; the nostrils basal, lateral, rounded, and 
mostly hidden by the bristly frontal plumes. Wings moderate, "svith the first three quills nearly equal 
and longest. Tail short and emarginated. Tarsi short, the length of the middle toe, without the claw, 
robust, feathered below the knee, and covered with scales. Toes short, the lateral ones equal, the outer 
united at its base, and the hind toe very long ; the claws long, especially that of the hind toe, acute and 
curved. 
These bh'ds are found in the northern parts of Europe, America, and Asia, migrating to the higher hititudes on the 
return of each succeeding summer. They frequent in flocks the great forests of pines and fir trees, the seeds of which 
form their principal subsistence. The seeds are detached by means of the strong lever they possess in the remarkable 
formation of their bill, which is admirably adapted for wi-enching asunder the scales of the cones. It also enables them 
to slit open apples and pears for the purpose of obtaining the pips, and they thus occasionally commit great havock in 
orchards. During the height of winter they are said to make their nests, which are usually placed in the fork of a 
branch, and consist of moss, lichen, &c., lined with feathers. The eggs are four or five in number. 
1. L. pityopsittacus Bechst. Orn. Tasch. i. 106. — Crucirostra 
pinetorum Meyer, Gould's B. of Eur.pl. 201. ; C. subpityopsittacus 
Brehm. 
2. L. curvirostm Linn. PI. enl. 218., Gould's B. of Eur. pi. 202. 
— Loxia crucirostra Pall. 
3. L. leucoptera Gmel. Gould's B. of Eur. pi. 203. — Loxia falci- 
rostra Lath. Audub. B. of Amer. pi. 3Gi., Dixon's Voy. pi. 19., Wih. 
Amer. Oi n. pi. 1.5. f. 3. pi. 31. f. 3. 
4. L. nmericana (A\'ils.) Am. Orn. pi. 31. f. 1, 2., Audub. B. of 
Amer.pl. 1,97. — Loxia fusca Vieill. ? 
5. L. himalayana Hoilgs. Proc. Z. S. 1845. p. Ann. Nat. Hist. 
1845. p. 206. 
6". L. tanioptera Glog. — Crucirostra bifasciata Gloy. Ornis, 1827. 
p. 77. 
* Established by Linnaus in 1735 (Systeyna Xatura). In 1777 Scopoli used Curvirostm, and between 1799 and 1800 Cuvier 
proposed Crucirostra for the same birds. 
