Next to these we must mention the BANDED CROSS-BILL (_Loxia tænioptera_),
a much rarer species, smaller than the Pine-tree Cross-bill, and having
a still more delicate beak. It is distinguished by two white lines upon
the wings. We think it very probable that many other Cross-bills usually
mentioned as varieties ought really to be considered as constituting
distinct species.
The American and some of the Indian Cross-bills differ considerably
from such as are found with us. Those in America are remarkable for
the smallness of their size, and may be considered as the dwarfs of
the family. The Cross-bills always inhabit pine-forests, as their food
consists entirely of the seeds of the pine, fir, and larch; they are
consequently more numerous in the north than in the south, seeing that
in northern latitudes these trees are met with over a far wider extent
of country than elsewhere. They are seen almost annually in Germany, but
only when the seeds of the above-mentioned trees are ripe. When the cones
are abundant they visit in great numbers many places where they have
not been for years, appearing at irregular intervals, and not confining
themselves to any particular localities. Should the situation be
suitable, they will proceed at once to breed, otherwise they merely tarry
for a short time, and then pass on to a more desirable resting-place.
The most favourable spots in the woods are soon taken possession of to
serve as their head-quarters, from whence they fly over the surrounding
country, returning to settle upon the same trees in the evening. They
are very social, living in pairs in the breeding season, but even during
that period will sometimes associate in considerable numbers. Their
nests are made among the branches of fir-trees, and there they disport
themselves gaily, climbing nimbly, and assisting their movements, as
parrots do, with their beaks. They will hang for minutes together head
downwards, clinging to a twig or cone, seeming to enjoy this apparently
uncomfortable position. Their movements, when on the wing, are undulating
and rapid, but they never fly to any great distance. The pleasure they
experience in the society of their mate is often testified by fluttering
over the tops of the trees as they sing, after which they hover for
a time, and then sink slowly to their perch. In the daytime they are
generally in motion, with the exception of a short time at noon. During
the spring, summer, and autumn, they pass their time in flying from one
plantation or mountain to another. In winter, if the cold is extreme,
they remain much longer in their sleeping-place, only coming abroad after
the sun has warmed the earth, though they commence their song early
in the morning. At this season they make their first appearance about
ten o'clock, and are soon busily employed in search of food; about two
o'clock they become quieter, seek food again at four o'clock, and then
go to roost. The Cross-bill troubles itself but little about the other
inhabitants of the woods, and is almost fearless of man, whom it is very
evident it has not learnt to regard as an enemy. Should a female be shot,
its mate will remain sorrowfully perched upon the branch from which his
little companion has fallen; or again and again visit the spot where she
was killed in the hope of finding her; indeed, it is only after repeated
proofs of the treachery of mankind that he begins to testify any symptom
of shyness. When placed in a cage, the Cross-bills become exceedingly
tame, appearing entirely to forget the loss of their freedom, and grow
so fond of those they are with as to obey them in everything, allowing
themselves to be touched, or even carried about the room on the hand,
and demonstrating their confidence in a variety of ways, so that the
inhabitants of mountainous districts are usually much attached to these
gentle little creatures.
[Illustration: THE BANDED CROSS-BILL (_Loxia tænioptera_).]
The call-note of the Pine-tree Cross-bill, common to both sexes, is "Gop,
gop," "Gip, gip," "Yock, yock." This is uttered either whilst flying or
when at rest; and so gentle is its sound, that the listener must be quite
close to the tree in order to hear it; indeed, he might imagine the bird
to be at a considerable distance, till, on glancing upwards, he beholds
it perched just above his head. The cry of the Fir Cross-bill is shriller
and weaker than that of the Large-beak. Those who have heard both species
can scarcely mistake them. No sooner does one of them utter the sound of
"Gip, gip," than all the rest become attentive, and generally fly away
together, if the first bird sets the example; and if, whilst they are
eating, other birds pass by, their cry of "Gip, gip," is intended as an
invitation to join the party and partake of the meal. Should one be at
a distance from the rest, the almost incessant cry of "Gop" will bring
it back; it is also the signal for the whole flock to settle. This last
note is never uttered during flight. Whilst brooding, the Cross-bill
employs a gentle sound, not unlike the piping of a little chicken whilst
under the wing of the hen, and the young have a similar cry, mingled with
the call-note of the parent bird. The song of the male is very pleasing,
particularly that of the Pine Cross-bill; it consists of a cadence formed
of a variety of weak twittering low notes. These birds are to be heard
at their best when the weather is fine and warm, and are quite silent if
the day is windy or stormy; whilst singing, they perch on the summit of
the trees. The female has the same song as her mate, but it is somewhat
gentler and more confused. In captivity they sing throughout the year,
except during the moulting season. The food of the Cross-bill consists
almost exclusively of the seeds of the forest trees, in obtaining which
its strong crossed beak is of the greatest service, as it requires
considerable strength and much skill to break open the cones of the fir
and pine, in order to obtain the hidden seed. The bird perches upon a
cone with its head downwards, or lays it upon a branch, and stands upon
it, holding it fast with its sharp, strong, pointed claws. Sometimes it
will bite off the cone and carry it to a neighbouring bough, or fly with
great difficulty some ten or twenty paces to another tree where it can be
opened, for a suitable spot is not to be found on every branch. If the
cone is large, the little creature tears its way through the middle of
the outside with its upper mandible, inserts its half-opened beak, and
forces an opening by a sideway motion of the jaws; it is then easy for
it to pick out the seeds, which are soon swallowed. The breaking up of
the husks produces a cracking sound, that is heard very distinctly from
below. The cones are seldom completely emptied of their seeds, but are
thrown down to the ground when scarcely touched, or not more than half
cleared, so that the grass beneath the trees on which a party of these
creatures has been perched is often completely strewn with them. When,
however, there are no more to be gathered, the birds will seek and feed
upon those they have previously flung away. The Pine Cross-bill seldom
touches the far harder cones of other fir-trees, as it does not possess
strength sufficient to open them, though the Large-beaked species breaks
them without difficulty, and can at one stroke tear off all the husks
into the midst of which it has plunged its beak. A cone is thus rifled of
its contents in the space of two minutes, when it is immediately thrown
down and another taken. Should the Cross-bill not be disturbed, it will
remain for hours upon the same tree, and continue for weeks together in
one part of the country. As long as fir-cones can be found, it seems not
to care for other food; but if driven by hunger it will eat oily seeds
such as those of the hemp or thistle, or even insects, seeking for them
in the neighbouring gardens and orchards. These birds are cleanly in
their habits, preening themselves carefully after every meal, and rubbing
their beak for minutes at a time upon the branches, in order to cleanse
it. Still, it is not always possible for them to keep their plumage trim,
and their feathers are frequently covered with a coating of resin. The
feeding of the Cross-bills on the fir-cones has another very remarkable
result. Their flesh becomes so penetrated with resin that it will resist
putrefaction for a lengthened period. It acquires by exposure a peculiar
smell, but cannot be said to decay. We have made many experiments upon
this subject, and always with the same result; there is a specimen now
lying before us, which was shot during the extreme heat of last summer,
and still retains its feathers. We have even seen a mummy of this bird
which was twenty years old. That the resin imbibed is the only cause of
this peculiarity is proved by the fact that specimens which have lived
upon other diet for some time before their deaths, share the ordinary
fate of dead birds. The Cross-bills are at all times a great ornament to
our woods; but it is only in the winter, when the snow is on the ground,
that we appreciate their full beauty. At such times their brilliant
red forms may be seen perched on the dark green branches, and as the
white, snow-covered ground throws them into strong relief, the fir upon
which they rest presents the appearance of a vast Christmas tree. Their
appearance is rendered still more attractive by the circumstance that
they usually assemble to breed during the winter season; though they
will also lay eggs during other months of the year--as readily in the
height of summer as when the snow lies thick upon the branches, and all
other living inhabitants of the woods are silent. They seem to trouble
themselves but little about the change of seasons. At the breeding time
the pairs into which the flock separates, choose the finest trees in the
woods, whereon they make the cradles for their young, as near together as
possible. The male then perches himself upon the highest branch of the
most lofty tree, singing energetically, calling to his mate incessantly,
and turning himself in all directions, seeming to wish to exhibit himself
and his beauty to her in all points of view. If she, however, does not
answer his call, he flies to another tree and recommences his song.
Should she still linger, he chases her sportively from branch to branch,
uttering his piping cry; at such times the Large-beaked Cross-bill
accompanies these endeavours to attract the notice of his mate with a
peculiar fluttering of his wings, often rising into the air and then
settling again in the same place; these demonstrations continue till
about noon, when the building of the nest commences. This is made upon
some widely-projecting or forked branch, and is always situated so as
to be well covered by the twigs that hang over it, partly to guard the
little family from any snow that might fall, and partly for the sake of
concealment. The nest is most artistically constructed. It is formed
externally of pine twigs, and lined with feathers, soft grass, and the
needle-like leaves of the fir-tree. The walls are about an inch thick,
and strongly woven together, the interior being tolerably deep. All the
nests that we see in this country are thus constructed, and therefore
it is rather surprising to hear from Eckström, one of the first Swedish
naturalists, that in Sweden "the Large-beaked Cross-bill builds a round
nest, formed of twigs, interwoven with other materials, and of such a
large size that it is at least an ell in diameter; the entrance being
perfectly round, and so small that the bird can only pass in and out with
difficulty; while the interior is large enough to hold a man's fist.
The winter nests," as he tells us, "are built in this manner; those
for summer use are smaller, and have thinner walls." We mention this
statement, though we are by no means sure that it applies to the species
with which we are familiar. We had once an opportunity of observing a
female Cross-bill whilst building. She commenced by breaking off dry
twigs, and carrying them to the spot she had chosen for the nest, and
then flew in search of such scraps as she could find, carrying away a
whole beakful at a time, and laying them in their proper place. As soon
as the rounding of the exterior nest was accomplished, the bird got
inside and spent some time in pushing it with her breast and pulling
until it was somewhat in order. She took all the materials from a
neighbouring tree, and was so industrious that she continued her work
during the afternoon, only requiring from two to three minutes to prepare
and carry each load. The brood consists of from three to four rather
small eggs, of a greyish or blueish white colour, streaked with faint
blood red, reddish brown, or blackish brown spots; sometimes these spots
take the form of a wreath round the broad end of the egg, and sometimes
cover the whole of its surface.
[Illustration: CROSS-BILLS (Loxiæ).]
The careful mother nurses her young with the greatest attention, whilst
the male fulfils his task of tending her and supplying all her wants. The
nestlings are fed from the first day of their life on the seeds of the
fir or pine, softened in the crop of the old birds and half digested, but
after a short time they are able to take them without this preparation.
They rapidly attain their full size, and are active and lively, but
require parental attention for the lengthened period during which their
mandibles are not crossed, as until they are so the young are incapable
of opening cones for themselves. After leaving the nest, they seek
shelter in the thickest trees, in the vicinity of their parents, and
while the latter are procuring fir-cones, as above described, will cry
uninterruptedly, like naughty children, following the old birds hastily
should they leave the tree, or calling long and dismally until their
return. After a time they are taught to work, their parents commencing
by giving them half opened cones to practise upon, and afterwards such
as have only been bitten from the trees. When the young are quite
independent in this respect, they form fresh flocks, or associate
themselves with that of their parents.
It is easy to ensnare the Cross-bill if it is enticed to the ground
by the help of a tame bird. In some parts of Germany high poles are
prepared, covered with pine branches, in which limed twigs are concealed;
these are then placed in the upper parts of the woods, and a decoy-bird
fastened beneath them, which contrives to attract the attention of all
that fly over it, so that many perch upon the bushes and limed twigs; in
this manner numbers may be caught in the course of a morning.
* * * * *
We must leave it undecided whether a most remarkable species found in
the Sandwich Islands be reckoned among the Cross-bills or not. Many
naturalists have no hesitation in so placing it, though Reichenbach
believes it to be more nearly allied to the Honey-eaters, with whom our
readers will shortly be made acquainted, than to the Finches. This bird,
which we shall call the PARROT-GREENFINCH (_Psittirostra psittacca_),
appears to be even more of a connecting link between the Parrots and the
Finches than the Cross-bill or the Parrot-Bullfinch, as its two names
clearly express. In size it resembles our bullfinch, its length being
about six and three-quarter inches, and the length of the wings three and
a half inches. The plumage is of a beautiful parrot-green, intermixed
with grey upon the breast. The head and breast are of gamboge yellow,
the wings and tail-feathers edged with green, and the back and legs of a
black colour. We are entirely ignorant of such particulars of its life
and habits as might give us any assistance in decisively assigning this
bird to its proper place; it still may be numbered amongst our greatest
rarities, as but very few collections can boast of a specimen.
THE BULLFINCHES (_Pyrrhulæ_).
The BULLFINCHES are known by their short thick beak, arched in all
directions, while the upper mandible terminates in a small hook. Their
other characteristics are their short moderately strong legs and somewhat
soft plumage, the nature and colour of which vary considerably in the
different members of the family. These birds are found throughout the
whole world, with the exception of Australia; but they principally
frequent the temperate and frigid zones. They inhabit woods and bushes,
as well as mountains and deserts, and pass as much of their time upon
trees as upon the ground. Their food consists principally of corn, seeds
of various kinds, and green leaves and buds. Being eminently social,
they mingle freely with their congeners, and very soon become attached
to man. In their movements they are somewhat clumsy, and much behind
the Cross-bills in agility and beauty. Their song is very simple and
pleasing, and to this some add the gift of being able to learn and
imitate with great accuracy the notes of other birds. The nest is always
carefully hidden in trees or the clefts of rocks. The number of eggs is
from four to six.