WAXWINGS 



463 



The spring flight of caddis flies and May flies is an addition to 

 their diet as well as to that of the other species of Swallows. 

 In fall or late summer they gather on the wires by the roadside 

 with others of their tribe. Though they utter a few twitters 

 and are noisy enough when danger threatens their homes, they 

 are usually rather silent as compared with other species of 

 Swallow. 



Family AMPELIDiE. Waxwings, etc. 

 Subfamily AMPELIN^. Waxwings. 

 Genus AMPELIS Linnaeus. 



Key to the species of AMPELIS. 



A. Primary wing coverts and outer web of secondaries white tipped ; 



wing over 4.25. Bohemian Waxwing. 



B. Primary coverts and outer web of secondaries not white tipped ; wing 



under 4.00. Cedar Waxwing. 



618. Ampelis garrulns YAnn. Bohemian Waxwing; North- 

 ern Waxwing; Northern Chatterer. 



Plumage of adults : primary coverts and outer webs of secondaries white 

 tipped ; secondaries with small red sealing-wax-like tips ; line through the 

 eye, forehead and chin black ; rich gra)ash brown above and more grayish 

 on wings, tail coverts and tail ; tail feathers tipped with yellow, forming a 

 yellow band ; front of crown and under tail coverts chestnut rufous ; outer 

 webs of primaries tipped yellow or white ; breast grayish brown, grayer on 

 belly ; very prominent crest on head. Immature plumage : red waxy tips to 

 the secondaries fewer and smaller ; crest smaller ; in general with less gray- 

 ish ; very similar to adults. Wing 4.50 ; tail 2.80. 



Geog. Dist. — Northern portions of the Northern Hemisphere ; in North 

 America breeding far northward ; in winter south very irregularly to the 

 United States, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kansas, southern Colorado, and north- 

 ern California ; accidental at Fort Mohave, Arizona. 



County Records. — Kennebec ; given in Hamlin's List, (R. S. Me. Bd. Agr. 

 1865, pp. 168-173). Penobscot; occasional specimens have been taken in 

 winter, two or three at the outside, but none have been reported for years, 

 (Knight). Washington ; rare, some winters occiu-s in large flocks, (Board- 

 man). 



It has been years since there has been any definite report of 

 the occurrence of this species in Maine. It occurs in midwinter 



so 



