AMPELID.E — THE CHATTERERS — AMPELIS. ^29 



Ampelis cedrorum, Yieillot. 



THE CEDAE-BIRD. 



Ampelis garrulus, Var. B. Linn.ecs, Syst. Nat. I. 1766, 297. 



Bumlycilla Carolinensis, Brisson, Orn. II. 1760, 337. — Audubon, Oni. Bioc;. I. 1831, 227 ; 



V. 494 ; ]il. 43. In. Birds Amer. IV. 1842, 1G5 ; ]>]. 245. — NuwiiiiRp.y, P. K. Hep. VI. 



iv. 81. 

 Domlyrilla cedrorum, Y1F.IL.Z.0T, Ois. Am. Sept. I. 1807, 88; pi. Ivii. In. Galcrie Ois. I. 



1834, 186 ; pi. cxviii. 

 Ampelis Americana, Wilson, Am. Om. I. 1808, 107 ; pi. vii. 

 Ampelis cedrorum, Baird, P. R. Rep. IX. Birds, 318. — Heermann, X. vi. 56. — Coopek 



and SucKLEY, XII. iii. Zoo), of W. T. 187. 



Sp. Char. Head crested. General color redili.^h-olive, passing anteriorly, on tlic 

 neck, head, and breast, into purplish-cinnamon ; posteriorly, on the upper parts, into ash ; 

 on the lower, into yellow. Under tail coverts white. Chin dark sooty-black, fading in- 

 sensibly into the ground color on the throat. Forehead, loral region, space below the eye, 

 and a line above it on the side of the head, intense black. Quills and tail dark plum- 



beous, passing behind into dusky ; the tail tipped with yellow ; the primaries, except the 

 first, margined with hoary. A short ma.xillary stripe ; a narrow crescent on the infero- 

 posterior quarter of the eye white. Secondaries with horny tips, like red sealing-wax. 

 Length, 7.2.5 ; extent, 11.75 ; wing, 4.00 ; tail, 2. GO. Iris brown ; bill and feet black. 

 Hub. Xorth America generally, south to Guatemala, north to lat. .50°. 



In the .settled ili-stricts of this coa.st the little -n-ax-wing is as yet a rather 

 rare bird, but will probably increase in abundance with cultivation and the 

 abundance of its favorite fruits. The comparative scarcity of wild berries 

 in most parts of the mountains makes it also rather an uncommon bird, but 

 in winter I liave seen small flocks as far south as San Diego, feeding on the 

 mistletoe-berries ; and they appear tlien in various parts of the lower 

 country, even at San Francisco. They are at that season very silent, 

 sitting still most of the day after gorging themselves to the throat with 

 berries, rarely uttering their low hissing call. 



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