630 
BIRD-LIFE. 
twig or branch : lazy by nature, the very activity which we 
so much admire in birds is disagreeable to him; he will 
scarcely take the trouble to hie him to brook or spring to 
drink and bathe! His flight is easy and rapid, the 
movement of the wings quick and rustling; he can 
describe large curves with much dexterity, but never 
moves, excepting when obliged by necessity. As a 
songster he shows himself a regular bungler. The ditty, 
such as it is, is very simple, consisting only of a few 
trills, a chirrup, and some other indescribable notes, 
which the female produces with nearly the same skill as 
does the male. The bird’s call-note is a chirruping sound ; 
and its tenderest love-note sounds like “ dune.” This, 
together with an insatiable appetite and a lazy disposition, 
is not calculated to make it exactly a favourite. 
The Waxwing, however, has its good points as well. It 
is more sociable, good-tempered, confiding, and unsus¬ 
pecting, than most other birds. It takes everything easy, 
even its own capture. After making one or two ineffectual 
attempts to escape from its cage, it quietly submits to its 
fate, eats as much as it can, preens its feathers, and 
begins to sing. Its conduct towards other birds is good 
in the extreme, for it has an intense dislike to a fight or 
disturbance of any kind. Thus it is a pet of the bird- 
fancier, despite its large appetite and the great mess it 
makes in its cage. It will eat almost anything. Berries 
of all sorts are its favourite food, the stones of which it 
throws up; it will also eat buds, insects, &c., though 
berries always hold the first place in the “ menu.” In 
captivity it soon becomes accustomed to every description 
of bird’s food. 
But little is known of the life and habits of the Wax¬ 
wing in its native land. The Englishman, Wolley, was 
