WISCONSIN BIRD-STUDY BULLETIN. 17 



CEDAR WAXWING, CEDAR BIRD. 



An erratic resident at least in southern Wisconsin; length about 

 seven indies; sexes alike; nest hnlky^ made of grasses, root and bark 

 fiber's and similar material lined vjith finer fibers; often placed in fruit 

 trees about home grounds and in cedars; eggs, tliree to five. Th3 

 wandering habits of the winter flocks are probably due to lack of fooi 

 supply. 



If we were to accuse any bird of wearing a tailor-made gown, it 

 would be this trim, dainty waxwing. The modest, unruffled beauty of 

 the plumage makes it a general favorite. Can you imagine a softer 

 or prettier combination of browns? How tastefully its sober tones 

 are picked out here and there by brilliant bits of color! The- scarlet 

 tips of the wing feathers, the yellow edging of the tail, the touch of 

 white under the eye and the black bar through it. Could old Polonius, 

 in Hamlet, have hit off better the dress of the waxwing than he did 

 the attire to be preferred by his son Laertes? 



"Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy; 

 Yet, not expressed in fancy ; rich, not gaudy. ' ' 



The conspicuous crest of the waxAving, slightly raised in the picture, 

 together with the black and w^hite about the eye give him an animated, 

 wide awake appearance, yet he is not noisy nor active nor quarrel- 

 som.e. On the contrary, he is a genteel bird, as quiet, moderate and 

 Avell-behaved as he is well dressed. Occasionally they seem to overdo 

 the "after you, my dear Alfonso" act as is shown by the following 

 observation narrated by jMabel Osgood Wright in Birdcraft : 



"Last May a flock of fifty or more lodged for a whole morning in 

 a half-dead ash tree, near the house, so that seated at ease, I could 

 focus my glass carefully, and v/ateh them at leisure. They were as 

 solemn as so many demure Quakers sitting stiffly in rows; once in a 

 while they shifted about, and seemed to do a great deal of apologizing 

 for fancied jostlings. Their movements interested me greatly, until 

 finally, to my surprise, I saw an illustration of the old story of their 

 extreme politeness in passing food to one another, which I had always 

 regarded as a pretty bit of fiction. A stout, green worm (for they 

 eat anim.al as well as vegetable food) was passed up and down a row 

 of eight birds; once, twice it Avent the rounds, until half way on its 

 third trip it became a wreck and dropped to the ground, so that iv 

 one enjoyed it." 



The waxwings live in flocks except during the breeding season. 

 They live chiefly on wild fruits. In winter they are most commonly 

 -seen in the mountain-ash trees feeding on the berries. They are fond 

 of the buds of the elm and often the walk under a feeding flock is 

 sprinkled with the bud-scales that they have rejected. The young are 

 fed on insects, during the breeding season, therefore, the waxwings 



