THE BOHEMIAN WAXWING. 
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regions, passing the summer within the Polar circle. It 
is only lately that its nest has been discovered in Lapland, 
and but a few years back we were still ignorant as to its 
true home. Extreme cold and heavy snows oblige it to 
migrate, because the latter robs it of its food. Under 
these circumstances it is a regular visitant to Pmssia and 
Sweden; and if the snow there is so deep that it cannot 
find nourishment, it then comes to us, and even goes as 
far south as the North of Spain. As soon as the weather 
becomes milder again, the Waxwing migrates homewards, 
like our Swallow or Nightingale; thus it is rarely seen in 
Germany earlier than November, or later than the month 
of March. This explains the whole mystery ! 
The Waxwing, on his arrival, shows plainly enough by 
his conduct what countryman he is. His dwelling-place 
has, hitherto, been unexplored by man. As yet he has 
not learnt the bitter lesson that man is his direst enemy, 
and for this reason he is fearless and confident, or as we 
say, patient and stupid. Harmlessly perched on a tree, 
he looks down the deadly tube of the gunner; he cannot, 
and will not understand why man should thus, without 
the slightest reason, treat him so cruelly,—destroying a 
bird’s life without a cause: he cannot, I say, understand 
such conduct. After a time, however, he learns to know 
man’s power, and with the acquired knowledge his beha¬ 
viour becomes as shy and distrustful as that of other 
birds. Waxwings on their return-journey seem to be 
quite different beings from what they were when they 
first arrived from the north : they have become enriched 
by knowledge gained through bitter experience. 
I will not go so far as to say that this ill-treated 
stranger is a very cheerful individual; no; he is always 
either eating or else to be seen perched immobile on some 
