The Natural History of Selborne

Mr Burbey shot a cock Gross-beak which he had observed to haunt his garden for more than a fortnight.  Dr Chandler had also seen it in his garden.  I began to accuse this bird of making sad havock among the buds of the cherries, goose-berries, & wall-fruit of all the neighbouring orchards.  Upon opening its crop & craw, no buds were to be seen; but a mass of kernels of the stones of fruits.  Mr B. observed that this bird frequented the spots where plum-trees grow; & that he had seen it with some what hard in it’s mouth which it broke with difficulty; these were the stones of damasons.  The latin Ornithologists call this bird Coccothraustes, i.e., berry-breaker, because with it’s large horny beak it cracks & breaks the shells of stone-fruits for the sake of the seed or kernel.  Birds of this sort are rarely seen in England, & only in winter.   About 50 years ago I discovered three of these gross-beaks in my outlet, one of which I shot.