358 NOTES ON THE 
AMPELIS CEDRORUM (VIEILLOT). (619. ) 
CEDAR WAXWING. 
Without a note of song, uttering only an oftrepeated twée, 
twee, and with a palate for cherries in particular that reaches 
into the pocket of the fruit-culturist, this beautiful bird has 
friends but few. I had long been under the influence of the 
popular prejudice towards this bird, when one day a country 
woman brought a young, but nearly fullgrown specimen to me, 
and I bought it. The soft delicate drab mantle and reddish- 
olive head with its expressive crest were irresistible, and I took 
it with a mental resolve to give it full liberty when the time 
came for the autumnal migration. Onreleasing it in the dining- 
room it flew to a bracket in the sitting-room directly over a 
mantel on which a clock stood. From that time that ever re 
mained his perch. His confidence in the entire membership of 
the family was manifest from the first, and he spent his time in 
clearing the house of flies and spiders, except what was devoted 
to bathing and pruning his plumage, or taking a bit of accept 
ble food off from my own plate, or preferably from my lips 
while perching upon my left shoulder. A small quantity satis 
fied him, when he would return to his bracket and dress his bill 
until the last particle of adhering food was removed, when he 
would invariably relight on my shoulder, from which he would 
hop onto the rim of my glass of water, and after taking what 
he desired, returned to his perch, where he remained quietly 
until our meal was finished. Afterwards his search for spiders 
and flies was resumed, in the pursuit for which he availed him- 
‘self of any open door leading to cellar or garret, or out and 
under the piazza. All the care required was to lay a piece of 
paper on the mantel under his perch, and leave some water in 
a dish to supply him with drink when the family were absent. 
Several distinguished ornithologists dined with me at different 
times, and were greatly pleased as well as surprised at his per- 
formances. He never showed the slightest desire to migrate 
in autumn. Unfortunately, one Sabbath the supply of water 
was forgotten, and a tall pitcher half filled was left standing 
upon the table, to which doubtless, he resorted, and slipped in 
without the power to get out, and was there drowned most in- 
gloriously. Notwithstanding his penchant for berries and 
cherries, he abundantly proved to me that his species is worth 
more to the pomologist than almost any other in the destruc- 
tion of worms, larvee and insects of nearly all kinds. 
