WHICH ONES HAVE BEEN FED? 



. A Visit with Cedar Waxwings 



By F. N. "WHITMAN, Chicago, 111. 



With Photographs by the Author 



ON A TRAMP in the country early in May one may meet with a flock 

 of pretty little Cedar Waxwings actively engaged in picking the buds 

 from certain wayside trees and bushes. An incessant chorus of low, 

 plaintive notes coming from two or three hundred of these dainty brown birds 

 often attracts one's attention before he has noticed the flock. Although rather 

 shy, the birds may be approached close enough to distinguish with the naked 

 eye the delicate shading of their soft brown feathers, the tapering crests, the 

 yellow band terminating the tail, and the small red structures on the wing, 

 from which this species derives its name. 



Several weeks later, these migrating flocks have separated into pairs, but 

 it is often well along in the season before the birds build their nests, for the 

 berries and fruit on which the young thrive ripen late. During summer, the 

 Waxwings feed mainly on fruit, cherries, and all kinds of wild berries. When 

 the young are old enough to be left alone, both adults go off together in search 

 for food, frequently making trips of several miles. Whether on the wing or 

 at rest, they habitually utter low calls that no doubt express companionship. 

 Though their foraging flights take them a mile or more, they are seldom 

 absent more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time, and when they are heard 

 returning, the young set up a chorus. Except when they may occasionally 



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