THE WAX-WINGS. 
177 
Alaska, apparently somewhat plentifully, only once has its nest 
been found in the territory ; this was by Kennicott, near Fort 
Yukon, in July, 1861. The species must surely nest elsewhere 
in the Arctic portions of North America, as it has been ob- 
served on the Anderson river during the breeding-time ; but 
at present the Alaskan record is the only one for the whole of 
North America. 
Habits. — Although such a common bird in collections, very 
little has been recorded of the habits of the Wax-wing, and even 
those naturalists who go in search of the nest do not always 
succeed in finding it, for both in summer and winter the bird 
appears to be very erratic in its choice of a home, being plentiful 
in some years in certain districts and then not appearing again in 
the neighbourhood for a long time. In its motions the Wax- 
wing is a very active bird, and is a beautiful creature in life, the 
crested head and the yellow bands on the wings and tail 
rendering it very conspicuous. The food consists of insects 
during the summer, varied with a few berries, but in the 
autumn and winter the bird subsists on berries of such plants 
as privet, white-thorn, guelder-rose and dog-rose ; at this time 
of year they become very fat, and are sold in large numbers 
for food in the Russian markets, being occasionally sent over to 
London. 
Mr. Seebohm says that a pair of birds which he kept in con- 
finement were most voracious caters, and their cage required 
cleaning several times a day. They were very active and rest- 
less, and even when perched at rest seemed to be continually 
moving their heads. If alarmed they would stretch out their 
necks to almost double the usual length. They were remark- 
ably silent birds, the only note heard by him being a “ cir-ir-ir- 
tr-re” very similar to a well known note of the Blue Tit. 
Occasionally this succession of notes was repeated so rapidly 
as to form a trill like the song of the Redpoll. 
Hest. — According to Mr. Seebohm, the nest is a large and 
very compact structure, the outside diamet -rof one in hisposses- 
sion being seven inches and the inside four inches; it is about 
four inches high outside, and nearly two inches deep. The foun- 
dation is made of twigs of spruce fir and reindeer-moss. The 
nest itself is composed of feathers and black hair-lichen, inter- 
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