276 University of California Publications in Zoology ['yoz-. 24 



The eggs of the four sets of the American subspecies obtained in 

 1919 on the Stikine River, and now in the Museum of 'Vertebrate 

 Zoology, measure as follows : 



Set no. 1818. 25.0 x 17.8, 24.2 x 17.8, 25.5 x 18.5, 25.2 x 17.5, 25.5 x 

 18.2, 26.0x18.0. 



Set no. 1819. 24.2 x 17.0, 27.0 x 17.0, 27.0 x 17.2, 26.0 x 17.5, 26.2 

 X 17.2. 



Set no. 1820. 26.8x17.8, 25.0x18.0, 26.5x18.0, 25.5x18.0, 26.8 

 X 17.8. 



Set no. 1821. 24.8 x 18.0, 23.5 x 17.5, 24.0 x 18.0. 



In color, three of the sets are much alike, a pale glaucous blue, close 

 to Ridgway's "pale dull glaucous-blue," but more washed out. This 

 ground color is marked rather profusely with blackish dots and with 

 a few fine, irregular lines, the dots mostly quite small and occurring 

 over nearly the entire egg, though less numerously at the smaller end 

 than elsewhere. There are also obscure underlying spots of bluish, but 

 faintly seen. The fourth set (no. 1821) is more olivaceous, the ground 

 color close to Ridgway's "mineral gray." The spots are fewer in 

 number than in the other sets, larger, and more sharply defined. 



As to plumage, the more conspicuous variable features iu the wax- 

 wing 's markings are the waxlike tips to the secondaries, the white and 

 the yellow markings on primaries, primary coverts, and secondaries, 

 and the yellow tips to the rectriees. The most elaborate study yet made 

 of the plumage of this species is that written by Henry Stevenson 

 (1882), based upon 144 specimens killed in England during the 

 winter of 1866-67. Many of his statements are of interest in con- 

 nection with the series of waxwings now in the collection of this 

 Museum. 



First, as regards the wax secondary tip, he gives the following 

 table, including those birds of which the sex had been ascertained by 

 dissection. 



Males Females 



3 had 4 tips *1 had 2 tips 



7 had 5 tips 4 had 3 tips 



14 had 6 tips 7 had 4 tips 



14 had 7 tips 6 had 5 tips 



3 had 8 tips 7 had 6 tips 



— 2 had 7 tips 



41 1 had 8 tips 



28 

 * Sex uncertain. 



