THE WAXWING. 235 



These birds are said to frequent forests of birch or oak, always 

 keeping among the thickest foliage, so as to conceal themselves from 

 view. They are very restless, constantly hopping or flying from one 

 branch to another in search for caterpillars, beetles, and other insects. 

 When the fruit is ripe they visit the orchards and gardens, and are 

 especially troublesome in Germany during the cherry season. Their 

 flight is described as "heavy, noisy, rapid, and very undulating." On 

 the ground they move by a series of awkward leaps. Their song is 

 said to be loud, full, and clear, and to be very constantly uttered 

 from the upper branches of a tree. Their call-note is supposed to 

 resemble and to be the origin of their name Oriole in English, 

 Turiol in Spanish, and Loriot in French. 



The nest of this beautiful bird, which has been found in a few in- 

 stances in England, is usually attached to a forked and slender branch. 

 It la cup-shaped, and composed of stalks of grass and roots interwoven 

 with wool. It varies greatly in depth; some specimens are so shallow 

 as to almost resemble a saucer, while others are so deep as to present 

 a purse-like appearance. The eggs, four or five in number, are of a 

 regular oval form, of a purplish white colour, and marked with a 

 few dark grey or reddish spots. They are laid about June, and the 

 young are hatched within a fortnight. 



In the southern counties of Europe this bird can be purchased in 

 the food markets towards the middle of autumn, when it has been 

 feeding' for some time on the ripe grapes and other fruit, and its 

 flesh is in good condition. It is known to epicures under the name 

 of Beccafico. 



THE WAXWING, 



(Bombycilla garrulus.) 



PLATE XV. FIGURE VI. 



Tnis species is often called the Bohemian Chatterer, a most inappro- 

 priate name, as it is rarer in Bohemia than in many other parts of 

 Europe, and is also a remarkably silent bird. Its home is in the ex- 

 treme northern regions of both Europe and America, and the elevated 

 parts of Asia. In severe winters it advances southward, and is then 

 met with in Germany, Switzerland, France, and the British Isles. Its 



