54 EiFRiG, Rare Winter Birds at Ottawa. [f^^ 



Murres prepared like a wild duck, and I must say that the flesh 

 was very good, in taste much like a wild duck. It must be borne 

 in mind, however, that when the ^lurres reach here they are very 

 lean, entirely without fat, which probably would spoil their taste. 



Although the coming of the ^Murres is a matter of interest to 

 ornithologists, who are thus urged to probe for the reason that 

 these birds leave their salt water home to certain doom inland — 

 for none return — it does not thrill one in the same manner that the 

 coming of the beautiful and also mysterious comers from the far 

 north does, about which I had intended to write. To begin with 

 the first. On December 13 a flock of about 30 Bohemian ^Yax- 

 wings {BomhijciUa garruJa) took up their quarters in a residential 

 portion of the city, where the streets are lined with fine shade trees, 

 by which also many houses are surrounded, and among which are 

 many mountain ash or rowan trees (Sorhus americana). For the 

 first few days they stayed in some trees near the Carnegie Library, 

 and then shifted to another corner where there was one little tree. 

 Here they stayed till the tree was completely stripped of berries. 

 There were other rowan trees close by, larger and several together, 

 but the berries on this tree must have been so much more to their 

 taste that they would not move, the small tree was partly over the 

 side-walk and one could watch them at close range. Like the 

 Cedarbirds {B. cedrorum) they are voracious eaters, so much so 

 that they are usually very silent, taking no time for giving vent to a 

 few notes. However, sometimes they do this, uttering some sub- 

 dued, very sweet notes in rapid succession, like a string of beads, 

 much like the Cedarbirds. Their manner of eating rowan berries 

 differs from that of the Pine Grosbeaks {Pinicola enucleator), 

 which are also very fond of these berries and were often with the 

 Waxwings. The Grosbeaks })ick off the berry, crush it, and suck 

 out the seeds, ejecting the pulp of the berry. The seed is what they 

 are after. But the Waxwings eat the complete berry, wherefore 

 there was next to no debris under the trees where they were at work, 

 which is always very conspicuous where Grosbeaks are feeding. 

 During the first weeks of their stay they allowed one to approach 

 them to within five to six feet, but later on they became more wary, 

 and if people stood under their trees they took wing to some nearby 

 larger trees. After cleaning that one little tree, they divided up 



