THE WHITE- WINGED CROSSBILL. 



{Loxia leucoptera.) 



The Crossbills, together with the 

 finches, the sparrows, the grosbeaks, the 

 redpolls, the goldfinches, the towhees, the 

 cardinals, the longspurs, and the bunt- 

 ings, belong to that large family of perch- 

 ing birds called the Fringillidae, from the 

 Latin word Fringilla, meaning a finch. 



Mr. Chapman tells us, in his "Birds 

 of Eastern North America," that "this, 

 the largest family of birds, contains some 

 five hundred and fifty species, which are 

 represented in all parts of the world, ex- 

 cept the Australian region. Its members 

 present a wide diversity of form and habit, 

 but generally agree in possessing stout, 

 conical bills, which are admirably adapt- 

 ed to crush seeds. They are thus chief 

 among seed-eaters, and for this reason 

 are not so migratory as insect-eating 

 species." Many of the birds most 

 highly prized for the cage and as song- 

 sters are representatives of this family and 

 many of the species are greatly admired 

 for their beautiful coloring. The White- 

 Winged Crossbill is a native of the north- 

 ern part of North America, migrating 

 southward into the United States during 

 the winter months. Its technical name, 

 Loxia leucoptera, is most appropriate and 

 descriptive. The generic name Loxia 

 is derived from the Greek loxos, meaning 

 crosswise or slanting, and the specific 

 name leucoptera is from two Greek 

 works, meaning white and wing, and has 

 reference to the white tips of the feathers 

 of the wings. The common name, Cross- 

 bill, or, as the bird is sometimes called, 

 Crossbeak, describes the peculiar struc- 

 ture of the bill which marks them as per- 

 haps the most peculiar of our song birds. 

 The bill is quite deeply cut at the base and 

 compressed near the tips of the two parts, 

 which are quite abruptly bent, one up- 

 ward and the other downward, so that 

 the points cross at an angle of about forty- 

 five degrees. This characteristic gives 

 this bird a parrot-like appearance. The 

 similarity is heightened by the fact that 

 these hook-like bills are used by the birds 

 to assist in climbing from branch to 

 branch. 



The Crossbills are even parrot-iike in 

 captivity. Dr. Ridgway, in the "Orni- 

 thology of Illinois," writes as follows re- 

 garding the habits of a pair : "They were 

 very tame, and were exceedingly inter- 

 esting little pets. Their movements in the 

 cage were like those of caged parrots in 

 every respect, except that they were far 

 more easy and rapid. They clung to the 

 sides and upper wires of the cage with 

 their feet, hung down from them, and 

 seemed to enjoy the practice of walking 

 with their head downward. They were 

 in full song, and both the male and fe- 

 male were quite good singers. Their 

 songs were irregular and varied, but 

 sweet and musical. They ate almost ev- 

 ery kind of food, but were especially eager 

 for slices of raw apple. Although while 

 they lived they were continually bickering 

 over their food, yet when the female was 

 accidentally choked by a bit of egg shell 

 her mate was inconsolable, ceased to sing, 

 refused his food, and died of grief in a 

 very few days." 



Their peculiar bills are especially fitted 

 for obtaining their food, which consists to 

 a great extent of the seeds of cone-bear- 

 ing trees, such as the pine, the hemlock 

 and the spruce. The ornithologist Wil- 

 son says : "On first glancing at the bill 

 of this extraordinary bird one is apt to 

 pronounce it deformed and monstrous ; 

 but, on attentively observing the use to 

 which it is applied by the owner and the 

 dexterity with which he detaches the 

 seeds of the pine-tree from the cone and 

 from the husks that inclose them, we are 

 obliged to confess on this, as on many 

 other occasions where we have judged 

 too hastily of the operations of nature, 

 that no other conformation could have 

 been so excellently adapted to the pur- 

 pose ; and that its deviation from the com- 

 mon form, instead of being a defect or 

 monstrosity as the celebrated French nat- 

 uralist insinuates, is a striking proof of 

 the wisdom of the great Creator." 



As an accidental malformation this 

 structure of the bill has been noted among 

 other birds, and, it is said, with some fre- 



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