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WAXWING , a See also:bird first so called apparently by P. J. See also:Selby in 1825 (Illustr. Brit. See also:Ornithology, p. 87), having been before known
as the "See also:silk-tail" (Philos. Transactions, 1685, p. 1161)—a literal rendering of the See also:German Seidenschwanz—or " chatterer "—the prefix " German," " Bohemian " or " waxen " being often also applied. Selby's convenient name has now been generally adopted, since the bird is readily distinguished from almost all others by the curious expansion of the See also:shaft of some of its wing-feathers at the tip into a flake that looks like See also:scarlet sealing-See also:wax, while its exceedingly silent See also:habit makes the name " chatterer" wholly inappropriate, and indeed this last arose from a misinterpretation of the specific See also:term garrulus, meaning a See also:jay (from the See also:general resemblance in See also:colour of the two birds), and not referring to any garrulous quality. It is the Ampelis garrulus of See also:Linnaeus and of more See also:recent ornithologists, and is the type of the Passerine See also:family Ampelidae.
The waxwing is a bird that for many years excited vast See also:interest. An irregular See also:winter-visitant, sometimes in countless hordes, to the whole of the central and some parts of See also:southern See also:Europe, it was of old See also:- TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
- TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
- TIME, STANDARD
time looked upon as the See also:harbinger of See also:war, See also:plague or See also:death, and, while its harmonious coloration and the See also:- GRACE (Fr. grace, Lat. gratia, from grates, beloved, pleasing; formed from the root cra-, Gr. xav-, cf. xaipw, x6p,ua, Xapts)
- GRACE, WILLIAM GILBERT (1848– )
grace of its See also:form were attractive, the curiosity with which its irregular appearances were regarded was enhanced by the See also:mystery which enshrouded its birthplace, and until the summer of 1856 defied the searching of any explorer. In that See also:year, however, all doubt was dispelled through the successful See also:search in See also:Lapland, organized by See also:John Wolley, as briefly described by him to the Zoological Society (Proceedings, 1857, pp. 55, 56, p1. cxxii.).1 In 1858 H. E. See also:Dresser found a small See also:settlement of the See also:species on an See also:island in the Baltic near See also:Uleaborg, and with his own hands took a See also:nest. It is now See also:pretty evident that the wax-wing, though doubtless breeding yearly in some parts of See also:northern Europe, is as irregular in the choice of its summer-quarters as in that of its winter-retreats. Moreover, the species exhibits the same irregular habits in See also:America. It has been found in See also:Nebraska in " millions," as well as breeding on the See also:Yukon and on the See also:- ANDERSON
- ANDERSON, ADAM (1692—1765)
- ANDERSON, ALEXANDER (c. 1582-1620?)
- ANDERSON, ELIZABETH GARRETT (1836— )
- ANDERSON, JAMES (1662—1728)
- ANDERSON, JAMES (1739-1808)
- ANDERSON, JOHN (1726-1796)
- ANDERSON, MARY (1859– )
- ANDERSON, RICHARD HENRY (1821–1879)
- ANDERSON, ROBERT (1750–1830)
- ANDERSON, SIR EDMUND (1530-1605)
Anderson See also:river.
Beautiful as is the bird with its full erectile See also:crest, its See also:cinnamon-See also:- BROWN
- BROWN, CHARLES BROCKDEN (1771-181o)
- BROWN, FORD MADOX (1821-1893)
- BROWN, FRANCIS (1849- )
- BROWN, GEORGE (1818-188o)
- BROWN, HENRY KIRKE (1814-1886)
- BROWN, JACOB (1775–1828)
- BROWN, JOHN (1715–1766)
- BROWN, JOHN (1722-1787)
- BROWN, JOHN (1735–1788)
- BROWN, JOHN (1784–1858)
- BROWN, JOHN (1800-1859)
- BROWN, JOHN (1810—1882)
- BROWN, JOHN GEORGE (1831— )
- BROWN, ROBERT (1773-1858)
- BROWN, SAMUEL MORISON (1817—1856)
- BROWN, SIR GEORGE (1790-1865)
- BROWN, SIR JOHN (1816-1896)
- BROWN, SIR WILLIAM, BART
- BROWN, THOMAS (1663-1704)
- BROWN, THOMAS (1778-1820)
- BROWN, THOMAS EDWARD (1830-1897)
- BROWN, WILLIAM LAURENCE (1755–1830)
brown plumage passing in parts into See also:grey or See also:chestnut, and relieved by See also:black, See also:- WHITE
- WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
- WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
- WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
- WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
- WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
- WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
- WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
- WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
- WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
- WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
- WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
- WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
- WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)
white and yellow—all of the purest tint—the See also:external feature which has invited most See also:attention is the " sealing-wax " (already mentioned) which tips some of the secondary or radial quills, and occasionally those of the tail. This is nearly as much exhibited by the kindred species, A. cedrorum—the well-known See also:cedar-bird of the See also:English in See also:North America—which is easily distinguished by its smaller See also:size, less black See also:chin-spot, the yellower tinge of the See also:lower parts and the want of white on the wings. In the A. phoenicopterus of southern-eastern See also:Siberia and See also:Japan, the remiges and rectrices are tipped with red in the See also:ordinary way without See also:dilatation of the shaft of the feathers.
Both the waxwing and cedar-bird seem to live chiefly on See also:insects in summer, but are marvellously addicted to berries during the See also:rest of the year, and will See also:gorge themselves if opportunity allow. They are pleasant cage-birds, quickly becoming tame. The erratic habits of the waxwing are probably due chiefly to the supplies of See also:food it may require, prompted also by the number of mouths to be fed, for there is some See also:reason to think that this varies greatly from one year to another, according to See also:season. The flocks which visit See also:Britain and other countries outs&.de the breeding range of the species naturally contain a very large proportion of See also:young birds. (A.
End of Article: WAXWING
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