THE PARROT CROSSBILL. 
639 
it wanders half over the globe. In all districts where 
there are extensive pine forests, and yet none of these 
birds are to be met with, they suddenly appear in large 
numbers in some wood where they have not been seen 
for years : here they settle, build, breed, and then vanish 
as quickly as they came, with the exception of a few 
stragglers. One can never reckon on their appearance 
with any degree of certainty, even if pine- and fir-cones 
are plentiful, although they never come to us but in 
seasons when such food is abundant. They are probably 
annual visitants to the immense forests of the Arctic 
regions, as well as to those of Lithuania, Russia, and 
Sweden; but with us, in Central Germany, they often do 
not occur for a period of five years. Like true gipsies, they 
pitch their camp where they are well off,—that is where 
there is plenty to eat; otherwise they roam about in all 
those countries which lie between 30° and 60° of north 
latitude, wherever pine forests are to be met with : these 
they exclusively frequent, for in a state of nature they, 
as a rule, feed on the seeds of the pine, though they 
occasionally devour insects. Their beak bears evidence 
of this fact, and they have to thank this nourishment for 
the imperishableness of their bodies, as the turpentine 
contained in the pine-cones so thoroughly saturates 
their whole bodies that they are utterly uneatable, and 
can be preserved for a very long time. If they are 
kept in a dry place they will withstand the ravages of 
decomposition for many years. 
A flock of Crossbills at their work, clinging to the top¬ 
most branches of a snow-laden pine in the winter, affords 
a beautiful spectacle. These little red birds stand out 
in relief against the dark green foliage and the pure 
white snow, giving the appearance of a Christmas-tree 
