156 WAXWING, 
can be traced across the northern districts of Italy to Turkey. In 
summer the bird inhabits the Arctic regions, within the limits of tree- 
growth, in Europe and Asia ; but it is very erratic, nesting for some 
seasons in large numbers in certain districts and then suddenly 
abandoning them. Its breeding-range extends across Bering Strait 
to Alaska and the Rocky Mountains, while in winter the United 
States—exceptionally as far south as 35° N. lat.—are visited. The 
representative species in temperate North America is the Cedar-bird, 
A. cedrorum (erroneously stated to have visited Great Britain), which 
is rather smaller, without any white or yellow on the wings. Our 
Waxwing occurs in winter in Japan and Northern China, but there 
the resident species is 4. phenicoptera, which has red markings on 
the wings and tail, but no wax-like tips. 
The best account of the discovery of the breeding of the Waxwing, 
with which the name of Wolley will always be associated, has been 
given by his friend and sometime companion Professor Newton, in 
‘The Ibis’ for 1861 (pp. 92-106), and in the 4th Edition of ‘ Yar- 
rell’s British Birds.’ The first nests and eggs were found in Russian 
Lapland in 1856, since which a great many have been taken ; and 
the breeding-range is now known to extend westward to the north- 
eastern portion of Norway, and southward to about 65° N. lat., on 
the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. Open portions of the forest 
appear to be preferred; the rather large nest being placed on the 
branch of a spruce, Scotch fir, or birch, and mainly composed of the 
lichen known as tree-hair, on a platform of dead twigs. The 5-7 
eggs are pale purplish-grey, blotched and streaked with several shades 
of brown and lilac: measurements ‘97 by °68 in. In summer the 
food consists of crane-flies and other insects ; later, hips, juniper- 
mistletoe- and other berries are eaten, and are usually swallowed 
‘whole. The note of this bird is a low civ-tr-dr-tr-re. 
Adult male: frontal band, lores, eye-region and chin black ; fore- 
head and sides of the crest chestnut-brown ; general plumage light 
greyish-brown, shading into ash-grey on the rump and abdomen ; 
wing-coverts black, tipped with white; secondaries spotted with 
white at the end of the outer web, and with tips to some 8 of the 
shafts like red sealing-wax; primaries black, with V-shaped yellow and 
white borders; tail blackish, terminated by a broad yellow band, and, 
in mature birds, with small red wax-like tips; under tail-coverts 
chestnut ; bill, legs and feet black. Length 7:5 in. ; wing 4°5 in. 
Female: rather duller, with (as a rule) fewer wax-like tips, and 
generally without the white edges to the inner webs of the primaries. 
Young: browner and without the black throat. 
