SPRING AT THE CAPITAL. 183 



her escort, flying a little above and in ad- 

 vance of her, and uttering now and then his 

 husky, discordant note. As I tossed a lump 

 of earth up at them, the frightened mother 

 bird dropped her mortar, and the pair skur- 

 ried away, much put out. Later, they avenged 

 themselves by pilfering my cherries. 



The most mischievous enemies of the cher- 

 ries, however, here, as at the North, are the 

 cedar wax-wings, or " cherry-birds." How 

 quickly they spy out the tree ! Long before 

 the cherry begins to turn, they are around, 

 alert and cautious. In small flocks they cir- 

 cle about, high in air, uttering their fine note, 

 or plunge quickly into the tops of remote 

 trees. Day by day they approach nearer 

 and nearer, reconnoitring the premises, and 

 watching the growing fruit. Hardly have 

 the green lobes turned a red cheek to the 

 sun, before their beaks have scarred it. At 

 first they approach the trees stealthily, on the 

 side turned from the house, diving quickly 

 into the branches in ones and twos, while the 

 main flock is ambushed in some shade tree 

 not far off. They are most apt to commit 

 their depredations very early in the morn- 

 ing and on cloudy, rainy days. As the cher- 

 ries grow sweeter, the birds grow bolder, till, 



