TRICKS AND MANNERS OF THE CEDARBIRD 473 



in their capacious throats for want of room below. These 

 gourmands grow extremely fat at times ; they are commonly 

 called Cedar-birds, and their flesh is accounted a delicacy. 

 They are also named Cherry-birds, from their fondness for 

 cherries; and might with equal propriety be known as Gum- 

 birds, or Huckleberry-birds, or by any other set of names 

 indicating that they feed on a great variety of edible small- 

 fruits. Naturally, the horticulturists dislike to see these 

 silky-feathered fruiterers come trooping as " thick as thieves ", 

 and kill so many that in some sections their numbers become 

 noticeably reduced. But we should always remember that 

 at certain seasons these indolent, easy-going gormandizers 

 display more agility and address in bug-catching than might 

 be expected from them, destroying vast numbers of noxious 

 insects. Let the irate gardener remember this when he 

 goes for his gun ; and let us all hope that people will learn, 

 in the course of time, that the indiscriminate slaughter of 

 birds, even of such noted thieves as Crows and Blackbirds, 

 necessarily turns a well-poised balance in favor of insect-pests 

 and by so much against the true interests of agriculture. 



Like most well-fed persons, our satiny Wax wings offset their 

 gluttony and indolence with some nice, amiable traits. They 

 are tender hearted, affectionate birds, fond of each other, and 

 quite capable of showing a degree of heroism in their devo- 

 tion to one of their number who may be in difficulty. They 

 make pleasant cage- birds, sleek and jaunty in their general 

 bearing, with a certain nonchalance, which, however, it would 

 be indiscreet in a fly to presume on so far as to enter their 

 cage. They are either very innocent or unsuspicious birds, for 

 they suffer themselves to be killed or captured when a little 

 wit would have saved them. Their habitual indifference ex- 

 tends even to their courtships and housekeeping ; they make 

 cool love, seem in no hurry about it, and not much concerned 

 for its consequences. You may see them lounging about in 

 flocks all through the summer ; they scarcely nest until the 

 season is half over, and sometimes postpone their domestic 

 affairs until the fall. The migration is another irregular and 

 desultory matter with them ; they are not reliable passengers, 

 for, as if rivalling their larger cousins, these lesser Bohemians 

 roam at their convenience over the country, whenever food is 

 plenty and accessible. They retire from more northerly and 

 uninviting regions in the fall, but in most parts of the country 



