SUNG BIRDS OF ORCHARD AND WOODLAND. 209 
WAXWINGS. 
These beautiful but inconspicuous birds are noted for the 
peculiar appendage which in many specimens adorns the tip 
of each secondary quill, and is sometimes found on the tip 
of each tail feather also. These waxy appendages seem to 
be ornamental rather than useful. They resemble sealing 
wax, hence the name Waxwing. The Bohemian Waxwing, 
a northern species, is a rare winter visitor to Massachusetts. 
The Cedar Waxwing is the only other species found in 
America. 
Cedar Waxwing. Cedar Bird. Cherry Bird. 
Ampelis cedrorum. 
Length. — About seven and a quarter inches. 
Adult. — Head long-crested; chin, forehead, space around eye, and line above it 
black; general color rich grayish or pinkish brown, with tints of reddish- 
olive and purplish-cinnamon, changing on the after parts into ashy above 
and yellow and white below ; wings and tail gray ; tail tipped with yellow. 
Nest. — Bulky ; from six to fifteen feet up in an orchard or shade tree; composed 
of weeds, grass, roots, bark, leaves and twigs. 
Eggys.— Light bluish, marked with black and indistinct bluish spots. 
Season. — Resident. 
This common bird, so richly endowed with beauty and 
grace, isnosongster. Its charm consists in its elegant shape 
and its softness of plumage, with its 
insensible changes from one lovely 
tint to another. It moves about in 
silence, save as it utters a lisping, 
“beady ” note or a “ hushed whistle.” 
Mr. Nehrling says that both male 
and female sing. I cannot doubt 
that he has heard this song, but 
from my own experience I am 
led to believe that it is rare in 
Massachusetts. \ 
The Cedar Bird gets its name Fig. 74.—Cedar Bird, one-half 
from its habit of feeding on cedar a 
berries in fall and winter. It often may be found on some 
parts of Cape Cod during the colder months. It is some- 
times seen in other parts of the State in winter, and is at- 
