Richardson 1937 58. Red Crossbill (cont.) June 14, 1937 East Lake, Paulina Mts., Oregon (cont.) The hemlock cones appear to be the only food available for them in this region so that the floral association is very definite. It were interesting to know if crossbills are equally abundant in these mountains in the lower Yellow Pine region, i.e. is a preference for hemlocks shown? This may be, for the cone-lorach are much thinner and the seeds more easily obtained. Dissection of specimens collected show the gonads to be extremely small (testes usually 1-2 mm), though most birds are at least starting the mating cycle. Though this may explain the flocking in part it does not explain the irregular breeding. One cannot readily admit that crossbills are not subject to the general sexual cycle of birds as shown by many workers (Rowan, Bissouette, Kendall et.).