CEDAR WAXWING. 343 



.in which all the points of beauty peculiar to the species were most 

 fully developed. 



The nest and eggs of this species are still a desiderata in American 

 collections, the only specimens we have for reference being those 

 taken by Kennicott at Fort Yukon, July 4th, 1861. The nest was 

 placed on the side of a branch of a small spruce growing on the edge 

 of a clump 011 low ground. It was large, the base being made of dry 

 spruce twigs, and the nest itself composed of fine grass and moose 

 hair, lined with large feathers. The female was shot as she left the 

 nest. The one egg obtained had a stone-colored ground, spotted with 

 dark brown of a violet shade. 



AMPELIS CEDRORUM (VIBILL.). 

 252. Cedar Waxwing. (619) 



General color as in yarrulu*; under tail coverts, whitish; little or no drange- 

 brown about head ; no white on wings ; chin, black, shading gradually into 

 the color of the throat ; a black frontal, loral and transocular stripe as in 

 </arrulux, but this bordered on the forehead with whitish ; a white touch on 

 lower eyelid ; feathers on side of lower jaw, white ; abdomen, soiled yellowish ; 

 tail, tipped with yellow. Length, 7-7^ ; wing, about 3|. 



HAB. North America at large, from the Fur Countries southward. In 

 winter, south to Guatemala and the West Indies. 



Nest, large, built in the orchard or in a low tree in the bush ; composed 

 of twigs, bark, leaves, rootlets, etc., lined with fine grass, hair or wool. 



Eggs, three to five, slaty blue or stone color, spotted and blotched with 

 brownish-black. 



The Cedar Bird is generally distributed throughout Ontario. It 

 is a resident species, being here both in summer and winter, but it 

 is so uncertain in its movements that its presence at a particular 

 point at a given time cannot be counted upon with any degree of 

 certainty. The birds do not begin housekeeping until quite late in 

 the season, and may be seen visiting the orchard in flocks up to the 

 end of May. At this season their food consists chiefly of insects, 

 some kinds of which they cleverly capture on the wing. They are 

 also accredited with the destruction of large numbers of canker- 

 worms and other noxious insects. As the season advances, they 

 show a great liking for fruit, especially cherries, with which they 

 often cram themselves till they can hardly maintain their balance 

 on the branches. In the fall and winter the berries of the poke 



