OUR HOME BIRDS. 
210 
the bird on the other side of him ; and he in turn 
passed it to the next, until it actually went the entire 
round, and finally returned to its original proprietor. 
Perhaps by this time some one else had caught some- 
thing. 
“ Some one says that these birds make excellent 
fly-catchers, spending much of their time in pursuit 
of winged insects ; this is not, however, managed with 
the vivacity or suddenness of true fly-catchers, but 
with a kind of listlessness. They start from the 
branches and give chase to the insects, ascending 
after them for a few yards, or move horizontally 
toward them ; and as soon as the prey is secured 
return to the spot, where they continue watching 
with slow motions of the head. This amusement 
is carried on during the evening, and longer at 
the approach of autumn, when the berries become 
scarce.’ 
“ The nest of the cedar-bird is quite large, and is 
often found on the forked branch of an apple tree 
about twelve feet from the ground. Outside and at 
the bottom there is a mass of coarse, dry stalks of 
grass, and the inside is lined with very fine stalks of 
the same material. There are three or four eggs, of 
a dingy bluish- white, thick at the large end, and 
tapering suddenly to a very narrow point at the 
other ; they are marked with small, irregular spots 
