Birds of Oregon and Washington 113 



head, the dainty red waxlike spots upon the 

 wings, as if each one had been placed there from 

 without by the divine Master Artist Himself, the 

 finished yellow edge upon the tail, all together 

 give an impression of perfect quiet beauty that is 

 unique in our experience of birds. 



As to manners, Nuttall describes their polite- 

 ness to each other as they go about in flocks. 

 He says he has often seen them passing a worm 

 along the line from one to another and back 

 again before it was finally eaten. 



Their song is a lisping " Twee-twee-ze." Their 

 communications while in social tete-a-tete upon 

 a tree are, as suggested, in a whisper evidently 

 intended only for each other's ears. 



Owing to their food habits they are, like 

 Robins, rovers when not nesting. They must 

 find cedarberries, canker-worms, wild or culti- 

 vated fruit ; and they fare forth for these with a 

 range even wider than the Swallow's, as nightfall 

 does not call them back to any fixed roosting- 

 place, 



The bird's fondness for cherries arouses the 

 hostility of some men. But again we ask, is it 

 right to destroy such a perfect " thing of beauty " 



