L oxia curvirostra minor . American Crossbill. Loxia leucop- 
tera. White- winged Crossbill. — Both species of Crossbills 
were abundant everywhere in the island, owing probably to the 
abundance of food, for the black and the white spruces, particu- 
larly the latter, and the balsam firs, were loaded with cones. The 
natives said it was an unusually abundant crop. 
The American Crossbill sang but rarely and then with but little 
enthusiasm, but the white-winged species was everywhere in full 
song. One of these I shot and found the testes as large as peas. 
This and the singing certainly suggested breeding. I saw no 
fledglings and had no time to look for nests. The great variation 
in the time of breeding of Crossbills is well known, but it is certainly 
strange to think of these birds breeding in late August and early 
September. 1 
Ora W. Knight 2 in speaking of the American Crossbills seen 
at Jackman, Maine, from August 16-23, 1895, remarks: “What 
is very odd is the fact that I observed a number of the birds flying 
about in pairs. These were probably still nesting. Some of the 
Crossbills probably nest much later than is generally supposed.” 
1 Note . — Mr. Brewster tells me that he 6Aoe found evidence of Crossbills breeding 
at Lake Umbagog in September. 
2 Auk, Vol. XII, 1895, p. 391. 
to a low warbling, and again burst 
whee, whee, whee. 
out into a loud sweet trilling 
When singing from a perch, which was always the tip-top of a 
spruce or fir, the Crossbill frequently twitched its tail, and erected 
the feathers of its crown. One fairly good singer appeared to be 
rather immature, being mostly gray with but a faint tinge of red 
1 Loc. cit. 
