156 WAXWING. 



can be traced across the northern districts of Italy to Turkey. In 

 summer the bird inhabits the Arctic regions,. within the Hmits of tree- 

 growth, in Europe and Asia ; but it is very erratic, nesting for some 

 seasons in large numbers in certain districts and then suddenly 

 abandoning them. Its breeding-range extends across Bering Strait 

 to Alaska and the Rocky ]\Iountains, while in winter the United 

 States — exceptionally as far south as 35° N. lat. — are visited. The 

 representative species in temperate North America is the Cedar-bird, 

 A. cedforum (erroneously stated to have visited Great Britain), which 

 is rather smaller, without any white or yellow on the wings. Our 

 Waxwing occurs in winter in Japan and Northern China, but there 

 the resident species is A. phanicoptera, which has red markings on 

 the wings and tail, but no wax-like tips. 



The best account of the discovery of the breeding of the Waxwing, 

 with which the name of Wolley will always be associated, has been 

 given by his friend and sometime companion Professor Newton, in 

 ' The Ibis ' for 1861 (pp. 92-106), and in the 4th Edition of ' Yar- 

 rell's British Birds.' The first nests and eggs were found in Russian 

 Lapland in 1856, since which a great many have been taken ; and 

 the breeding-range is now known to extend westward to the north- 

 eastern portion of Norway, and southward to about 65^ N. lat., on 

 the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. Open portions of the forest 

 appear to be preferred ; the rather large nest being placed on the 

 branch of a spruce, Scotch fir, or birch, and mainly composed of the 

 lichen known as tree-hair, on a platform of dead twigs. The 5-7 

 eggs are pale purplish-grey, blotched and streaked with several shades 

 of brown and lilac : measurements "97 by '68 in. In summer the 

 food consists of crane-flies and other insects ; later, hips, juniper- 

 mistletoe- and other berries are eaten, and are usually swallowed 

 whole. The note of this bird is a low cir-ir-ir-ir-re. 



Adult male : frontal band, lores, eye-region and chin black ; fore- 

 head and sides of the crest chestnut-brown ; general plumage light 

 greyish-brown, shading into ash-grey on the rump and abdomen ; 

 wing-coverts black, tipped with white : secondaries spotted with 

 white at the end of the outer web, and with tips to some 8 of the 

 shafts like red sealing-wax; primaries black, with V-shaped yellow and 

 white borders; tail blackish, terminated by a broad yellow band, and, 

 in mature birds, with small red wax-like tips ; under tail-coverts 

 chestnut; bill, legs and feet black. Length 7-5 in. ; wing 4*5 in. 

 Female : rather duller, with (as a rule) fewer wax-like tips, and 

 generally without the white edges to the inner webs of the primaries. 

 Young : browner and without the black throat. 



