Bohemian Waxwing 425 
Bohemian Waxwing. Bombycilla garrula. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 618—Colorado Records—Aiken 72, p. 198 
(Ampelis garrula) ; Trippe 74, p. 92 ; Drew 81, p. 89; 85, p. 15; H. G. 
Smith 84, p. 120; Morrison 88, p. 73; Cooke 97, pp. 111, 217; Henderson 
03, p. 236; 09, p. 238 ; Rockwell 08, p. 175. 
Description.—Sexes alike. General colour above and below grey 
or drab-brown, becoming tinged with rufous towards the head ; forehead. 
and under tail-coverts rufous-chestnut ; « line running through the 
eye and along the base of the upper mandible and a patch on the chin 
and throat black ; wings dusky grey, the primary coverts tipped on 
both webs with white, the primaries with the tips of the outer webs 
white or yellow, the secondaries also tipped with white and the shafts 
of several of the feathers prolonged into sealing-wax red, flattened, 
pear-shaped appendages; tail dusky grey with a terminal band of 
yellow; iris brown, bill black, blueish-grey at base, legs black. Length 
6-75 5 wing 4-55 ; tail 2-65 ; culmen -45 ; tarsus -70. 
In some birds the red appendages to the secondaries are absent, 
and the yellow spots on the primaries are all white. This does not 
appear to be connected with age or sex or season. 
Distribution.—Breeding in the coniferous forests of the northern 
parts of the Old and New Worlds ; in America from Alaska to Hudson 
Bay, southwards in winter very irregularly as far as Pennsylvania 
and northern California. 
In Colorado the Waxwing is a not uncommon winter bird, more 
abundant in the mountains, where it has been found as high as 10,000 
feet by Dennis Gale near Ward in Boulder co. ; occasionally it is seen 
in the foothills, but it is notoriously erratic in its movements and may 
occur at any place. It reaches Colorado in November or December 
and remains often till the end of March. It was seen by Dennis Gale 
as late as April 6th. 
The following are recorded localities: Boulder, a few in winter 
(Henderson), Denver (Smith), Idaho Springs (Trippe), Breckenridge 
(Carter apud Cooke), El Paso co. (Aiken), Mesa co. not uncommon 
in winter (Rockwell), San Juan co. (Drew), La Plata co. (Morrison). 
Habits.—The Bohemian Waxwing is usually seen in 
flocks, sometimes of very large size; it is very erratic 
in its wanderings, and though common one winter in 
one particular locality, may not be seen again in the 
same place for many years. It feeds chiefly on wild 
berries, and the presence of these in sufficient quantities 
may perhaps account for its wandering habits, but it 
