CEDAR WAXWING 85 



Hemlock. The nests are mostly rather high up. * * * Oc- 

 casional nests are lower down. One in 1927 w^as only six feet from 

 the ground in a staghorn sumach {Rhus typhina) . One in 1935 was 

 in a willow and about four feet from the groinid." 



James E. Crouch (1936) states: "The measurements of a typical 

 Cedar Waxwing's nest are as follows: Outside depth, 4-41/2"; inside 

 depth 3-33//'; outside diameter, 4yo-5''; inside diameter 3-314''; 

 and thickness of walls 3/4-1 3/4". The nest is completed in five to 

 seven days and egg laying starts immediately. * * * One egg is 

 laid each day until the complement is completed, and incubation starts 

 at the laying of the first egg. Regardless of this fact they all hatch 

 at the same time." Mr. Crouch's observations were made in the 

 vicinity of Ithaca, N. Y. 



Aretas A. Saunders (1911) reports on an interesting study of an 

 unusual nesting, "ten nests of the Cedar Waxwing [at West Haven, 

 Conn.] in a small tract of about five acres," an instance of the close 

 association characteristic of the bird being carried into the nesting 

 season. Even when flying off to procure food, the birds traveled in 

 small companies. Mr. Saunders says: "The parent birds from the 

 different nests made trips for food in small flocks, usually of four or 

 five. The cherry trees where most of the food was obtained grew along 

 the shore about a quarter of a mile from the nests. The small flocks 

 usually gathered in the tops of a few dead stubs that stood above the 

 thicket, and left these in a body for the cherry trees, returned in the 

 same manner when the food was obtained and then scattered slowly to 

 their respective nests." 



Mr. Saunders (1911) adds : "Late in November, after the leaves had 

 fallen, I visited the thicket again to see how many Waxwing nests in 

 all were there. I found seven more nests evidentl}' of this species, 

 making a total of seventeen. These other nests were some distance 

 from the ones I studied and much more scattered. All of the seven- 

 teen, however, could be included within a radius of 150 yards." 



Mr. Saunders (1911) says: "I watched incubating birds for some 

 time and so far as I could tell, only the female performs this duty." 

 James E. Crouch (1936) concurs with this statement, saying, "Incu- 

 bation was performed entirely by the female," but Dr. Arthur A. 

 Allen (1930) states that both birds "take turns sitting on the eggs." 



Crouch (1936) describes thus the building of the nest: 



Nest building is an interesting process. I watched the construction of one nest 

 placed in the forking branch of a willow tree. The birds worked very vigorously 

 both in bringing material and in shaping the nest into form. Although they both 

 carried materials, one bird seemed to do most of the shaping and weaving to- 

 gether of the nest. As nearly as I could tell, it was the female which did this 

 shaping. However, because of the similarity of plumage, it may be that I was 

 mistaken in this observation. Inasmuch as there is contradiction in the litera- 



