PABROT CROSSBILL. 
139 
having been found in February and March; and the nests 
having been observed to have been begun by the middle oi 
December. 
The nest is placed chiefly in lofty forest trees, and is 
composed of small twigs, lined with dry grass or leaves of 
the fir tree. 
The eggs are said to be four or five in number, ash-coloured, 
or bluish white, and spotted with bluish red and dusky at 
the larger end. 
The young are hatched after a fortnight’s incubation. 
Male; length, seven inches and a quarter to seven and a 
half or rather more; bill, large, dusky grey, yellowish at the 
base of the lower mandible; iris, bright hazel; head, crown, 
neck on the back, and nape, red; chin, throat, and breast, 
red; back, darker red, lighter on the lower part; all the red 
feathers are more or less streaked with dusky in younger 
birds. The wings extend to the width of one foot; primaries, 
secondaries, and tertiaries, dusky black, darker with age; the 
first quill feather is the longest, the second nearly as long, 
the third a little shorter still, and the fourth a quarter of 
an inch shorter than the third. The tail forked, dusky black, 
darker with age; it extends one inch beyond the end of 
the wings; upper tail coverts, light red; legs, short and 
strong, and reddish brown, ‘as are the toes; claws, dark 
brown. The moult takes place in September, October, and 
November. 
Female; head, crown, neck on the back, and nape, greenish 
ash-colour, with patches of brown; chin and throat, grey, 
clouded with yellowish brown; breast, ash-colour, varied with 
yellowish green; back, dull greenish yellow, lighter and more 
yellow on its lower part; under tail coverts, greyish white, 
the base of each feather greyish brown. 
The young bird of the year has the bill blackish horn- 
colour; head, crown, neck on the back, and nape, greyish 
white, much streaked with greyish brown; back, greyish 
white, much streaked with greyish brown, on the lower part 
slightly tinged with yellow; greater and lesser wing coverts, 
dark brown tipped with pale brown; primaries, secondaries, 
and tertiaries, blackish brown, also tipped with pale brown ; 
legs and toes, lead-colour; claws, black. 
