The Cedar Waxwing 85 



close ranks on a level with the tree-tops along 

 a straight course; or, wheeling suddenly, the 

 birds dive downward into a promising, leafy, 

 restaurant. Enormous numbers of insects are 

 consumed by a flock. The elm-beetle, which 

 destroys the beauty, if not the life, of some of 

 our finest shade trees, would be exterminated 

 if there were cedarbirds enough. One flock 

 within a week rid a New England village of 

 this pest that had eaten the leaves on the double 

 row of elms which had been the glory of its 

 broad main street for over a hundred years. 

 When you see these birds in an orchard, look 

 for better apples there next year. Canker- 

 worms are a bon bouche to them; so are grubs 

 and caterpillars, especially cutworms. 



Sometime after all the other birds, except 

 the tardy little goldfinch, have nested, the 

 waxwings give up the flocking habit and live 

 in pairs. Toward the end of June, when many 

 birds are rearing the second brood, you may see 

 a couple begin to carry grass, shreds of bark, 

 twine, fine roots, catkins, moss or rags — ^any 

 or all of these building materials — to some tree, 

 usually a fruit tree or a cedar ; and then, if you 

 watch carefully, you will find what is not al- 

 ways the case with humans — ^the birds' manners 

 at home are even better than when moving in 

 society abroad. The devoted male brings 

 dainties to his brooding mate and helps her feed 



