466 



THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



have seen them visit potato vines repeatedly and feed on the 

 slugs or carry them to their nests. 



In habits the Waxwings are interesting. What is more 

 pleasing than to see a flock of these gentle creatures flying 

 through the air, uttering their characteristic lisping call, then 

 suddenly they drop to the limbs of an apple or other tree. 

 Here they clamber about, now erecting their crests, full of life 

 and vivacity, now with lowered crest delving into an apple 

 blossom. Their crests are a very sensitive index to their feel- 

 ings, seemingly erected in various ways to manifest surprise, 

 anger, and other emotions. Now they clamber parrot-like 

 through the branches, hang head downward to peer into a 

 blossom or under a leaf, or leap into the air after a passing 

 moth. 



From the middle of June up to early July nesting begins, 

 sometimes earlier, but as a rule the majority of nests contain 

 fresh eggs near Bangor about June twenty-ninth. The nesting 

 site is quite varied, always in the limbs of some tree, very often 

 in orchard trees or hedges at heights of eight to twenty feet, 

 again in maples and elms of the city streets thirty to forty feet 

 from the ground, or very often in the cedars, spruces, pines, 

 firs or other evergreens of open pastures and rocky hills. Often 

 they nest in the trees along streams and rivers. Again in the 

 heart of the open spruce and hackmatack bogs of northern 

 Maine I have found them nesting, so it will be seen that their 

 choice of surroundings for their home is rather varied, but 

 they do not seem to like the dense, thick forest growth. On 

 the University of Maine Campus several pair nest in the ever- 

 green trees, placing the nests on horizontal limbs at heights of 

 five to fifteen feet. 



The nests are quite variable in construction, often made of 

 dry grass alone, again of fine shredded bark of cedar and hem- 

 lock, roots, twigs, paper, waste, rags and twine, lined with 

 hair, wool and feathers. The handsomest nests they build, in 

 my estimation, are the ones found in the open bogs, placed in 



