THE WAXWING. 213 



the pine forests, at different distances from the ground, 

 and the birds do not appear to breed in colonies. It 

 is thick and clumsy in appearance ; the walls of fine fir 

 branches mixed with the moss Usnea barbata, leaves, and 

 inwardly lined with dry grass, and sometimes feathers. The 

 eggs, usually five, are thickly strewed with small black- 

 brown spots, and dots, on a pale greenish white bottom 

 colour. They are scarcely so long as those of the common 

 bunting, but nearly as thick, and blunter and rounder. 



The birds breed in June, and are very quiet during the 

 breeding season, and the old female darts away from the 

 nest when disturbed, betraying little of that anxiety which 

 characterizes most other birds under the same circumstances ; 

 and as the Lapland forests have not till lately been much 

 explored by oologists, there is little wonder that the breed- 

 ing habits of this bird have so long remained a mystery. Still 

 it does appear strange that out of all the Swedish naturalists 

 who have visited Lapland, no one should have been able to 

 give any good account of either nest or eggs, till Mr. Wolley 

 untied the Grordian knot in 1856. 



I may here add, that the Carolina waxwing, or cedar 

 bird, which may be confounded with our European wax- 

 wing, has the belly of a pale yellow colour. The wings of 

 both sexes are of a plain deep slate colour, without any white 

 or yellow markings, and the female has never any red appen- 

 dages to the secondaries. 



Fam. 5. FISSIROSTRES. 



Bill very short and broad ; gape wide, extending beneath 

 the eyes ; feet weak. 



NOCTURNAL. 



Eyes very large ; plumage soft. 



Gen. Caprimulgus, L, 



Bill short, flat, and broad; tarsi short; toes long and power- 

 ful ; hind toe joined to the inner at the base ; tail rounded 

 with ten feathers ; wings long ; second feather longest. 



