AMPELID^ — THE WAXWINGS. 201 



Hab. Whole of temperate North America, south (in winter only?) to Guatemala, 

 Jamaica, and Cuba; breeds nearly throughout its summer range. 



Sp. Chak. Crest moderate. General color soft vinaoeous cinnamon, deepest anteri- 

 orly, more olivaceous on back, scapulars, ami wing-coverts, passing into pure light ash 

 on the rump and upper tail-coverts, and into dingy yellow on ilanks and abdomen. Lower 

 tail-coverts white. Whole of the wing posterior to the greater coverts slaty ash. almost 

 black along end of inner webs of primaries, the outer wobs of which are narrowly edged 

 with hoary whitish. Tail slate, passing into black terminally, tipped withabroad, sharply 

 defined band of gamboge-yellow. A broad stripe of intense velvety-black on side of 

 head, starting from nostril, passing across lores, and involving the eye, continued from 

 it beneath the crest to the occiput; chin dull black, blending gradually into the brownish 

 of the throat. A narrow white lino across the forehead and along the side of crown, be- 

 tween brown of crown and back lores, etc.. a narrow crescent on lower eyelid, and a 

 stripe between black of lores and that of the throat, white. Fully adult male and female 

 with each secondary auill terminated by a bright red horny appendage to the shaft. 

 Younger birds with these very small and few in number, or entirely absent Totmg. 

 In general appearance similarto the adult. Colors more grayish, with indistinct concealed 

 whitish streaks on nape and down back, these stripes becoming very conspicuous on 

 the sides and flanks and across breast. No black on chin. Rump grayish brown; ab- 

 domen and flanks dingy whitish. No appendages to secondaries, and the yellow band 

 across end of tail narrower than in adult. 



Kegarding alleged sexual differences of plumage in this species, 

 we quote the following from E. A. Mearns, in the "Nuttall Bulletin" 

 for April, 1878, p. 70: "I have been so struck by the great varia- 

 tion in different specimens of this species, in regard to the red 

 wax-hke appendages, that I have taken particular pains to procure 

 a large series of specimens illustrating this difference. In this series 

 I can scarcely detect any sexual difference in that respect, except 

 that the particularly well-developed specimens are all males. In 

 the normal plumage the waxen appendages are confined to the tips 

 of the secondary remiges, but in my cabinet are several specimens 

 which have them affixed to the primaries, and in several instances 

 even to the rectrices ; but they are usually small and few in num- 

 ber. One specimen has several of these attachments to the prima- 

 ries, which are nearly as well developed as those on the secondaries. 

 But the most remarkable specimen is a handsome male (No. 545, adult 

 male, April 11, 1875, Higliland Falls, N. Y., E. A. M.), having these 

 ornaments attached, not only to each of the secondaries and three 

 of the primaries, but each of the rectrices is embellished by a well- 

 developed red appendage. Several other specimens have large red 

 tips to each of the rectrices; and one (No. 1,558, male, FebruaiTr 

 23, 1878, E. A. M.) has five of its primary remiges (5th to 9th) 

 tipped with yellow. Professor Baird* says: "A specimen from 



♦ Baird, Brewer, and Eidgway, Birds N. Am. i, p. 101. 1874. 



