February 
quite as they were before. It is the magic 
sound of the earliest song sparrow that strikes 
the first blow at winter’s fetters, and ever after 
hope will blossom on amid the snow and ice. 
Later came a flock of cedar-birds, also called 
cherry-birds and wax-wings, an unusually at- 
tractive specimen, although not brilliantly at- 
tired. Its head is conspicuously crested, the 
whole body of a soft and rich light-brown color, 
and its form is particularly graceful. The tip 
of the tail is yellow, and the name of wax-wing 
is due to the presence on the wings and some- 
times on the tail of small appendages resem- 
bling bits of red sealing-wax in mature speci- 
mens. It is not known what purpose this 
peculiarity serves, but it is hazardous to affirm 
that it is merely an ornamental excrescence. It 
winters and summers throughout the United 
States, although retiring somewhat to the south 
in cold weather. 
There are only three species of wax-wings in 
the world, two of them in North America, the 
third in Japan. The other North American 
species is called the Bohemian or Northern wax- 
wing. Its southern boundary about coincides 
with the northern tier of States, and, except that 
it is slightly larger than the other (our own be- 
63 
