94 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9 



cember 30, T906, when a flock of about fifty was encountered in the fig trees near 

 the Las Palmas vineyard, east of the city. I was much interested in their subdued 

 Hsping twittering, and especially in their manner of flight. As I drove along 

 they would perch in the top of some leafless tree; suddenly the whole flock 

 would take wing, with the intention, seemingly, of leaving the state, but after 

 flying a few yards they invariably dropped en masse into the top of another tree 

 in a surprisingly abrupt manner. 



The 9th day of the following March another flock of about the same number 

 of birds was found in the tall cottonwoods along Dry Creek east of Clovis, but 

 unlike the first ones seen, they were wild and unapproachable, and remained in 

 the tallest trees, from which they took wing whenever I came within three or 

 four hundred feet of them. 



The winter of 1910-11 was remarkable for the great number of Cedar Birds 

 that frequented the valley. They were first seen about the middle of B'ebruary, 

 but did not become especially noticeable until the rainy week beginning March i, 

 when half a dozen flocks, varying in size from a dozen birds to nearly a hundred, 

 were seen in various parts of the city. All through the stormy weather of March 

 they remained, and even when the rain gave way to a succession of warm sultry 

 days in early April, they showed do disposition to leave. Four individuals were 

 seen on May 9, a small flock on the 17th, and a large flock, the last of the sea- 

 son, on May 24. In the last instance the birds flew into a large mulberry tree 

 in the city. 



A curious departure from the usual feeding habits of these birds was noted 

 during their sojourn in the valley, for they fed almost entirely on raisins, and 

 from all indications the diet had a most beneficial effect upon them. Along the 

 railroad reservations on each side of the city are numerous packing houses, and 

 around the rear of each of these may at any time be found a varied assortment 

 of raisin stems and other refuse, among which there is a small quantity of per- 

 fectly good raisins. How the waxv/ings became aware of this food supply is not 

 easily understood, as they would hardly be expected to select as a feeding ground 

 the buildings along "Raisin Row," but be that as it may, the fact remains that 

 nearly every house had its attendant flock of birds. They remained motionless 

 for an hour at a time perched with almost military precision along the edge of 

 the roof, to suddenly become an animated mass of hissing, excited birds that 

 greedily scratched and tore through the piles of stems in search of the few- 

 raisins that still adhered thereto. Sometimes when partly concealed I have had 

 a flock of waxwings within six feet of me, and they paid little attention to the 

 presence of a man at a distance of thirty feet, so long as that individual did not 

 appear to notice them. The slightest recognition, or a sudden move toward them 

 would send the whole flock away in wild disorder. 



When not actually feeding, these birds could be found in the tops of some 

 tall leafless elms along one of the residence streets, where it seems probable that 

 they spent the night, as the first faint rays of daylight often revealed them sitting 

 motionless on the topmost twigs. Surely a colder or more exposed site could 

 not have been selected. 



The small boys with their sling shots found the waxwings always willing 

 to allow them to test their skill, and not a few of the birds succumbed from that 



