69 
THE NATURAL HISTORY 
countries ; but thefe nrgrations are fuppofed not 
to be conftant and reg 'ar, and may perhaps pro¬ 
ceed from an accidental fcarc.ty of that food cn 
which they are fond, in thole countries which 
they generally inhabit; or perhaps they may ha^e 
been carried away by fome (form of wind, for 
they have been obferved to arrive in great num¬ 
bers, and fometimes fo much fatigued, as to oe 
cafily caught by the hand : a Lrofsbill nas been 
found in Greenland, but it was probably acciden¬ 
tally driven there, as it could not in that dreary 
region have found its proper food. 
Crofsbills in this refpeeb are faid to differ from 
other birds, that they make their nefts in the 
depth of winter, in the month of January, on 
the higher branches of fir trees ; fattening them 
with the re fin of the fir, and plaftering them in 
fuch a manner with that fubttance, that the wet 
from the fnow, or rain, can never penetrate. 
The corners of the mouth of their young, as in 
mod other young birds, are yellow, and it is 
probable that the hen lays four or five eggs. 
The colours of the plumage of thefe birds 
differ, in different Individuals, fcarcely any two 
being exa&ly alike; and the colours in the fame 
bird frequently vary, from a dark blackiih (hade, 
to {hades inclining to red, or green. 
Tha 
