on Nesting of the Waxwing in Confinement. 23


birds becoming exceedingly bold and tame, and by the 22nd the

nest was apparently complete, a considerable amount of pieces

of dried shepherd’s purse, chickweed, fine rootlets, and dead grass

having been accumulated, and a lining made of feathers and

rabbit’s fur.


I should add that by this time we had seen the birds pair

more than once, and were able to say for certain that one which

had been badly mauled by a brown owl through the wires of the

aviary, and still carried a mark where the feathers were perman¬

ently disarranged, was the female.


The male’s “ show” was all this time very beautiful. With

crest fully erect, and wings and tail spread and drooping, he

would hop round his mate as she sat crouching on a branch with

a mealworm in his beak, as it were tantalising her, and exhibit¬

ing his lovely plumage to the best advantage, before he dropped

the gift into her expectant mouth. The notes of the birds did

not differ during the nesting period from the ordinary twitter

heard at other times.


On the 23rd of June a high wind, from an unusual quarter,

spun the hanging basket round, and seemed to upset the birds ;

for they transferred their attentions to the spruce tree, into which

we fixed a Mistle Thrush’s nest as soon as we saw that they were

neglecting the first nest. On 27th they were lining the Thrush’s

nest with feathers. We then ventured to examine the nest in the

basket by means of a small mirror fastened to a stick, and to

everybody’s huge delight a beautiful egg was seen. I need not

say how carefully this was blown, and it was immediately

sent up to our Hon. Secretary for inspection, who had all along

showed much kind, interest in my birds’ proceedings.


On the 28th in the early morning the male was sitting in the

nest, and this was the only occasion when we saw him there. On

the 30th June the hen began to sit steadily. On that day I saw

her, after chasing the male (for food ?) go on again, arranging

herself so that I felt sure that she had a clutch of eggs under her.

On the 14th of July the male was noticed to be very bold, and

excited, jealously driving off any other birds (Bearded Tits). O11

the next day young birds were seen being fed. The period of

incubation may therefore be taken as fourteen days.



