AROUND THE OLD BARN 



185 



to eat it, or returns it to its original owner. All the 

 while such a pleasant lunch is going on, the amiable 

 birds make complimentary remarks to one another 

 about their dress — how very handsome is one's long 

 pointed topknot, Avhat a becoming yellow border an- 

 other's tail has, and how particularly fine are the coral- 

 red bangles on the wings of a third — which 

 is much better than if they should pick 

 each other to pieces and talk about 

 ' frumps ' under their breath. 



" Some people have complained that 

 the Cedar Waxwing eats cherries, 

 and have given him the name 

 of 'Cherry Bird'; but 

 the AVise ]\Ien say 

 that he really 

 eats very few 

 cherries or 

 other garden . 

 fruits, more 

 than half of his food 

 being wild berries, 

 such as those of 

 the evergreen 

 juniper we com- 

 monly call ' cedar.' 



" He may be called one of the best of neighbors ; for, 

 besides feeding his young on many different kinds of 

 destructive insects, he eats cutworms and the wicked 

 beetles which destroy so many grand old elm trees. 

 And you know it is always nice to have polite neigh- 

 bors," 



:^^ 



Cedar AVaxwing. 



