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IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Vou XXVII, 1920 
ferent localities. This was thought to be a novel observation, 
but the writer has since found that a similar observation was 
made by F. A. Pennington in Chicago, and reported in Bird-Lore 
(XIII, page 305, 1911). 
The writer has examined a good many published accounts of 
the Waxwing in a search for notes on the food habits. The fol- 
lowing table indicating the number of writers who have mentioned 
various food items may be of general interest. 
Mountain Ash Berries 18 
Juniper and Cedar berries : 13 
Insects 7 
Hawthorne apples 4 
Cultivated apples 4 
Wild grapes 3 
Rose hips 3 
Bittersweet berries 2 
Persimmons 2 
Dogwood berries 1 
Sumac berries • 1 
Buffalo berries 1 
Smilax berries 1 
Laurel berries 1 
Asparagus berries 1 
Hackberries 1 
Barberries 1 
Bearberries 1 
Wolf berries 1 
Cranberries 1 
Chokeberries 1 
Madrona tree berries 1 
Russian Olives 1 
Currants 1 
Figs 1 
A number of writers have seen the Wax wings catch and eat 
insects in true flycatcher style; this is usually late in the season, 
of course, or in the northern states where these birds may linger 
longer. 
We wish to mention one other habit observed in these birds 
which seems to be peculiar. Two observers, at different times, 
told the writer of seeing Bohemian Waxwings alight in the snow 
and eat of it. One of the observers describes the method by 
saying that the birds lowered the head and scooped up the snow 
with the lower mandible. It is assumed that the snow was swal- 
lowed, although the action of the throat muscles was not noticed. 
In both cases the birds had just previously been feeding on 
