THE BOHEMIAN WAXWING. 349 



XOTHIXG can exceed the retiiied elegance of these "gentlemen in feath- 

 ers" who \-isit us _\-early in winter, rarely on Puget Sound, but abundantly in 

 the nijrtheastern portion of the .State. Demure, gentle, courteous to a faidt, 

 and guileless to the danger point, and be^'ond, these lo\-ely creatures exceed in 

 beauty, if [jossible, their more familiar cousin, the Cedarl)ird. They move 

 about in flocks, sometimes to the number of hundreds, and as the rigors of 

 winter come on they search the orchanl and berry-patch for ungarnered fruit, 

 or divide with hungry Robins the largess of rowan trees. Much time is 

 spent in amiable converse, but it is not at all fair to call them "chatterers," 

 or garniliis, as tho they were monkeys. Dignity is of the very essence of 

 their being, and, as fond as the}^ are of good li\'ing, thev would star\e rather 

 than do anything rude or unseemly. 



An observer in Utah^ relates how an ill-mannered Robin, jealous of the 

 good be]ia\'ior of a company of these visitors, in an apple tree, set about to 

 abuse them. "He would bluster and scream out his denunciations till he 

 seemed unable longer to restrain himself, when, to all appearances, absolutely 

 beside himself with rage because the objects of his wrath paid no attention to 

 his railings, he did the catapult act — hurling himself straight at the intruders. 

 Several of the ^Vaxwings, in order to avoid an actual collision, left the places 

 where the}' were feeding, and alighting on twigs near bv paused for a moment, 

 as if to observe the antics of the ftu'ious Roliin, when thev would resume their 

 feeding. Their indifference to the loud bullying protests of the Robin, and 

 their persistence in remaining on the premises after he had ordered them off 

 so exasperated Mr. Redbreast that with screams of defiance he dashed from 

 group to group without stopping to alight, until, exhausted quite as much 1)\- 

 the heat of anger as by the unusual exertions he was making, he was glad to 

 drop to a branch and pant for breath" — while the Waxwings continued to 

 ignore the churl, as gentlemen should. 



Concerning the nesting range of this bird there has been much surmise. 

 For many years the single eggs taken by Kennicott at Fort Yukon on Tulv 4, 

 1861, remained unique: but latterly we are learning that it also nests much 

 further south. Mr. Brooks took foiu- sets, one from a INFurrav pine and three 

 from Douglas firs, at 158-Mile House, B. C, in June. 1901''. Dr. C. S. 

 Moody"^ reports the taking of a set of five eggs at Sandpoint, Idaho, July 5, 

 1904. On June 26, 1904, Robert G. Bee, of Provn City, found a nest near 

 Sunn\-side, Utah''. W'hh such examples before us it is practicall}- certain 

 that the species will be found nesting in this State. Indeed, Mr. F. S. Mer- 

 rill, of Spokane, believes that he once found a nest of the Bohemian W'axwing 

 on the headwaters of the Little Spokane River near ^lilan. The nest he de- 



Rev. S. H. Goodwin in "The Condor," \'ol. \'II., No. 4, p. 100. 

 The Auk, \'o]. XX., July, 1903, p. 283. 

 "Pacific Sportsman," \'ol. 2, June, 1905, p. 270. 

 The Condor, \'ol. \"II.. July, .\ugust, 1905, p. 100. 



