File:The genera of birds (19176420355).jpg

Order II. PASSERES.
Tribe IV. Conirostres.
Family IV. Frixgillid^s.
The eighth Subfamily,
LOXIAN/E, or Crossbills,
have the Bill more or less long, broad, but compressed towards the tips, which sometimes cross each
other, and curved, or the upper overlapping that of the lower mandible ; the Wings more or less
lengthened, pointed, and sometimes rounded ; the Tail moderate and emarginated, or graduated ; the
Tarsi short, with the Toes moderate.
Loxia Linn.*
Bill moderate, broad at the base, with the culmen much curved, and the sides much compressed to the
tip, which is prolonged, very acute, entire, and both mandibles cross each other, with the lateral margins
bent inwards ; the gonys long, and much curved upwards ; the nostrils basal, lateral, rounded, and
mostly hidden by the bristly frontal plumes. Wings moderate, with the first three quills nearly equal
and longest. Tail short and emarginated. Tarsi short, the length of the middle toe, without the claw,
robust, feathered below the knee, and covered with scales. Toes short, the lateral ones equal, the outer
united at its base, and the hind toe very long ; the claws long, especially that of the hind toe, acute and
curved.
These birds are found in the northern parts of Europe, America, and Asia, migrating to the higher latitudes on the
return of each succeeding summer. They frequent in flocks the great forests of pines and fir trees, the seeds of which
form their principal subsistence. The seeds are detached by means of the strong lever they possess in the remarkable
formation of their bill, which is admirably adapted for wrenching asunder the scales of the cones. It also enables them
to slit open apples and pears for the purpose of obtaining the pips, and they thus occasionally commit great havock in
orchards. During the height of winter they are said to make their nests, which are usually placed in the fork of a
branch, and consist of moss, lichen, &c, lined with feathers. The eggs are four or five in number.
1. L. pityopsittacus Bechst. Orn. Tasch. i. 100". — Crueirostra
pinetorum Meyer, Gould's B. of Eur.pl. 201. ; C. subpityopsittacus
Brehm.
2. L. curvirostra Linn. PI. enl. 218., Gould's B. of Eur. pi. 202.
— Loxia crueirostra Pall.
3. L. leucoptera Gmel. Gould's B. of Eur. pi. 203. — Loxia falci-
rostra Lath. Audub. B. of Amer. pi. 36i., Dixon's Voy. pi. 19., Wils.
Amer. Orn. pi. 15. f. 3. pi. 31. f. 3.
4. L. americana (Wils.) Am. Orn. pi. 31. f. 1, 2., Audub. B. ot
Ainer.pl. 1,97- — Loxia fusca Vieill. ?
5. L. himalayana Hodgs. Proc. Z. S. 1845. p. Ann. Nat. Hist.
1845. p. 206.
0'. L. tcenioptera Glog. — Crueirostra bifasciata Glog. Omis, 1S27.
p. 77.

• Established by Linnams in 1735 (Systema Xatura-). In 1777 Scopoli used Curvirostra, and between 1799 and 1800 Cuvier