128 THE CROSSBILL. 
liancy of eye, and ardor of spirit, are those of the colt, 
and though treated with no remarkable care, she has 
never been disabled by the illness of a day, or sickened 
by the drench of the farrier. With birds it is probably 
the same as with other creatures, and the eagle, the 
raven, the parrot, &c., in a domestic state attain great 
longevity; and though we suppose them naturally tena- 
cious of life, yet, in a really wild state, they would 
probably expire before the period which they attain 
when under our attention and care. And this is much 
the case with man, who probably outlives most other 
creatures ; for though excess may often shorten, and 
disease or misfortune terminate his days, yet naturally 
he is a long-lived animal. His “ threescore years and 
ten” are often prolonged by constitutional strength, 
and by the cares, the loves, the charities, of human 
nature. As the decay of his powers awakens solicitude, 
duty and affection increase their attentions, and the 
spark of life only expires when the material is ex- 
hausted. 
That rare bird the crossbill (loxia curvirostra) occa- 
sionally visits the orchards in our neighborhood, coming 
in little parties to feed upon the seeds of the apple ; 
and, seldom as it appears, is always noticed by the mis- 
chief it does to the fruit, by cutting it asunder with its 
well-constructed mandibles, in order to obtain the ker- 
nels. A native of those extensive pine forests in the 
neighborhood of the Rhine, it makes excursions into 
various parts of Europe in search of change of food ; 
and, though several instances are recorded of its visits 
to our island, I know but one mention of its having 
bred in England. A pair was brought to me very early 
in August, and the breast of the female being nearly 
bare of feathers, as is observable in sitting birds, it is 
very probable that she had a nest in the neighborhood. 
Gesner has called the common rook (corvus fru- 
gilegus) a corn-eating bird. Linnasus has somewhat 
lightened this epithet by considering it only as a gath- 
erer of corn ; to neither of which names do I believe 
it entitled, as it appears to live solely upon grubs, 
various insects, and worms. It has at times great diffi- 
