THE CEDAR WAXWING. 



E is really a waxwing, wherever 

 he goes, but he has other 

 names. When he is dining 

 on cherries, he is the cherry- 

 bird. When he is breakfast- 

 ing on cedar-berries, he is the 

 cedar-bird. The fact is, when 

 a waxwing is at the farmer's fruit, his wax tips 

 are forgotten or overlooked. These wax tips are 

 a puzzle to men who study birds all their lives. 

 They are not wax, for they do not melt in the sun 

 nor crack in the frost. But they look just like 

 wax. Thin waxen tips are on the wing-quills. 

 The yellow band on the end of the tail, and the 

 red on the wings, distinguish these birds from all 

 others. No one knows the 

 use of these waxen tips, 

 so we conclude they are 

 for ornament only. They 

 shine when the bird is fly- 

 ing, or when it is atilt in 

 the trees. 



125 



REFERENCE TOPICS. 



How wild plant seeds 



are scattered. 

 Pepper trees. 

 How mistletoe grows. 

 Camels on the desert. 

 Birds injured by wires. 



