BRITISH BIRDS. 



Genus AMPELIS. 



In the tenth edition of the ' Systema Naturae ' of Linnaeus, published in 

 1758, the Waxwings were included in the genus Lanius. In 1760 Brisson, 

 in his ' Ornithologia/ placed them in the .genus Turdus; but in 1766, in 

 the twelfth edition of his great work (i. p. 297), Linnaeus associated them 

 with half a dozen very distantly allied birds in a new genus, Ampelis. 

 These strangers were subsequently removed to other genera by later writers, 

 leaving the Common Waxwing as the type. 



In the birds of the genus Ampelis the shafts of the secondaries are either 

 prolonged into wax-like appendages, or each feather has a red terminal spot 

 to the outside web ; the tail-feathers are broadly tipped either with yellow or 

 red ; and the throat, lores, and the feathers behind the eyes are black. They 

 have also a well-developed crest. This genus contains only three species, 

 one of which is confined to North America, one to Japan and the adjoin- 

 ing mainland, whilst the third is circumpolar ; the latter is the only species 

 found in Europe, and is an irregular winter visitor to the British Islands. 



In many of their habits the Waxwings resemble very closely the Rose- 

 coloured Starling. They are very erratic in their migrations, and appear 

 irregularly in certain districts often in considerable numbers. They 

 chiefly frequent pine- and larch-woods; but when wandering far from 

 their breeding-grounds in winter, they seem to have no preference for any 

 particular haunt. They are comparatively tame birds, and resemble the 

 Titmice somewhat in their actions. They possess scarcely any song. Their 

 food consists of fruit, berries, and insects. They build open cup-shaped 

 nests placed in the branches of trees, and made of twigs, moss, feathers, 

 lichens, &c. Their eggs are from five to seven in number, varying from 

 French white to sea-green in ground-colour, spotted, blotched, and speckled 

 with deep brownish black and pale underlying markings of lilac. 



