76 tHE WAXWtNG 



WOODCHAT SHRIKE 



LANIUS POMERANUS 



Forehead and cheeks black ; nape bright rust colour ; back and wings varif 

 gated with black, white, and reddish brown ; under parts white ; out€ 

 tail feathers white, with a square black spot at the base on the inner wel 

 the two next with the black spot larger, and on both webs, the two midd] 

 ones wholly black, the rest black tipped with white ; tail slightly rounded 

 second primary equal in length to the fifth. Female — all her colour 

 dingy ; breast marked transversely with fine brown Unes. Length, seve 

 and a half inches. Eggs bluish white, spotted at the larger end wit 

 brown and ash-grey. 



The habits of this bird, which is a very rare visitant to the Britis 

 Isles, differ in no material respect from those of the foregoini 

 species. On the Continent it is more frequent in the south tha 

 the north, where it frequents trees rather than bushes, and genei 

 ally places its nest, which it constructs of twigs, moss, and whit 

 lichen, in the forked branch of an oak. Like the rest of the famU 

 it is migratory, coming and departing at the same time as the othe 

 species. 



FAMILY AMPELIDiE 



THE WAXWING 



AMPELIS GARRULUS 



Feathers of the head elongated, forming a crest ; upper plumage purplis 

 red ; lower the same, but of a lighter tint ; throat and lore black ; greate 

 wing-coverts black, tipped with white ; primaries black, with a yello' 

 or white angular spot near the extremity, six or eight of the secondarif 

 and tertiaries having the shaft prolonged and terminating in a substanc 

 resembhng red sealing-wax ; tail black, tipped with yellow. Lengt 

 eight inches. Eggs pale blue, with a few streaks of brown and lUac. 



The Waxwing is an elegant bird, of about the size of a Thrusl 

 It visits this country, and in fact every other European countr 

 where it is known at all, at irregular intervals, generally in flock 

 which vary in number from eight or ten to some scores. Thus i 

 is everywhere a stranger ; and little was known till recently of i1 

 nesting habits. It is perhaps on account of this ignorance of i1 

 natural history, that it has borne a variety of names which are a 

 inappropriate as possible. Temminck describes it under the nam 

 Bombycivora, or devourer of Bombyx, a large moth, a name quit 

 unfit for a bird which lives exclusively on fruits and berries. Th: 

 was softened into BombycUla, which means, I presume, a littl 

 Bombyx, though the bird in question is far larger than any know 

 moth. Its French name Jaseur, equivcdent to the English on( 

 Chatterer, is quite as inappropriate, as it is singularly silent. I 

 default of aU certain information, then, I venture to surmise tha' 

 coming in parties no one knows whence, and going no one know 



