Waxwing

a family of perching birds. Two species are well known in the United States and Canada. The cedar-bird or cedar-waxwing is a common American bird. It nests from Kentucky northward. It is a beautiful bird with a graceful crest. Its general color is ashy brown, with a purple tint on the head. Its throat is black; the tail feathers are tipped with yellow. The wings bear a bar of white, at the crossing of which each feather has a peculiar appendage, looking like a bead of vermilion sealing-wax. In the northern woods the cedar birds are to be found usually in the thick foliage of evergreen trees. They feed on berries. The nest is placed in a tree from five to twenty feet above the ground. There are usually from four to six pale blue, thickly speckled eggs. The cedar-bird is a trifle over seven inches in length. The Bohemian waxwing ranges farther westward. It is about eight inches in length. It is an exquisite dresser. The general color of the upper parts is a rich grayish brown. The under parts vary from gray to chestnut. It has a jaunty topknot. Its wing feathers are barred with white and end in small red sealingwax-like tips. "I think that the Bohemian waxwing," says William T. Horna-day, "when alive and in perfect plumage, is one of the most exquisite perching birds I know. It is not gorgeous or resplendent; but in dainty prettiness of form, immaculateness of plumage, and delicate refinement in color-scheme combined, it has few equals."