THE BOHEMIAN WAXWING. : ; 349 
NOTHING can exceed the refined elegance of these “gentlemen in feath- 
ers” who visit us yearly in winter, rarely on Puget Sound, but abundantly in 
the northeastern portion of the State. Demure, gentle, courteous to a fault, 
and guileless to the danger point, and beyond, these lovely creatures exceed in 
beauty, if possible, their more familiar cousin, the Cedarbird. ‘They move 
about in flocks, sometimes to the number of hundreds, and as the rigors of 
winter come on they search the orchard 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 garrulus, as tho they were monkeys. Dignity is of the very essence of 
their being, and, as fond as they are of good living, they would starve rather 
than do anything rude or unseemly. 
An observer in Utah? relates how an ill-mannered Robin, jealous of the 
good behavior 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 Waxwings, in order to avoid an actual collision, left the places 
where they were feeding, and alighting on twigs near by paused for a moment, 
as if to observe the antics of the furious Robin, when they 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 by 
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 July 4, 
1861, remained unique; but latterly we are learning that it also nests much 
further south. Mr. Brooks took four sets, one from a Murray pine and three 
from Douglas firs, at 158-Mile House, B. C., in June, 1go1°. 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 Provo City, found a nest near 
Sunnyside, Utah*. With such examples before us it is practically 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 Waxwing 
on the headwaters of the Little Spokane River near Milan. The nest he de- 
a. Rev. S. H. Goodwin in ‘‘The Condor,” Vol. VII., No. 4, p. too. 
b. The Auk, Vol. XX., July, 1903, p. 283. 
ce. “Pacific Sportsman,” Vol. 2, June, 1905, p. 270. 
d. The Condor, Vol. VII., July, August, 1905, p. 100. 
