300 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



long and pointed, reaching nearly to the middle of the tail; the second and third quills 

 longest. Tail appreciably shorter than the wings; rather narrow, very nearly even. 



"The species of this genus are all of very small size, and of showy plumage, usually 

 blue, red, or green, in well-defined areas. The females plain olivaceous or brownish; 

 paler beneath." (Hist. X. Am.S.) 



The four species of this genus which have been known to occur 

 in the Eastern Province of the United States may be distinguished 

 by the following characters : 



A. Wing with two light bands. 



1. P. amoena. Male: Head, neck, and upper parts verditer-blue, duller on the back; 

 breast cinnamon-rufous, the other lower parts white. Female: Above grayish 

 brown, the rump tinged with blue; beneath fulvous-white, the breast more buffy. 



B. Wing without light bands. 



2. P. cyanea. Male: Uniform rich greenish cobalt-blue, the head more ultramarine 

 or smalt blue. Female: Above dull brown; below brownish white, the breast 

 with indistinct darker streaks. 



3. P. versicolor. Cutting edge, of upper mandible very concave, and culmen nnn-li 

 arched. Male: Bluish purple, the rump and forehead purplish blue, eyelids and 

 occiput dull red. Fi-nnilc: Above grayish brown, beneath brownish white. 



4. P. ciris. Male: Eyelids and lower parts vermilion-red; rest of head purplish 

 blue; back bright yellowish green; rump dull red. Female: Dull grass-green 

 above, olivaceous yellow beneath. (Young male similar.) 



Passerina cyanea (Linn.) 



INDIGO BUNTING. 



Popular synonyms. Indigo Bird; Green Bird; Blue Linnet; Green Linnet. 



Tanagra cyanea LINN. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 315. 

 Fringilla cyanea WILS. Am. Orn. i, 1810, 100, pi. 6, fig. 5. NUTT. Man. i, 1832, 473. AUD. 



Orn. Biog. i, 1^32,377; v, 1839, 503, pi. 74. 

 Passerina cyanea VIEILL. Norn. Diet, xxv, 1817, 7; 2d Check List, Ii82, No. 295. HIDGW, 



Norn. N, Am. B. 1881, No. 248. 



Spiza cyanea BP. 1838. AUD. Synop. 1839, 109; B. Am. iii,1841,96, pi. 170. 

 Cyanospizacyanea'B&.TKD, B. N. Am. 1858, 505; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 387. COUES. 



Key. 1872, 150; Check List, 1874, No. 199; B. N. W. 1874, 171.-B. B. & E. Hist. N. Am. 



B. ii, 1874, 82, pi. 30, figs. 13, 17. 



HAB. Eastern United States, north to Maine and Canada, west to the edge of the 

 Great Plains; winters in Central America and Cuba. 



"rip. CHAK. Male. Blue, tinged with ultramarine on the head, throat, and middle of 

 breast; elsewhere with verdigris-green. Lores and anterior angle of chin velvet-black. 

 Wing-feathers brown, edged externally with dull bluish brown. Female. Brown above; 

 whitish, obscurely slreaked or blotched with brownish yellow, beneath; tinged with 

 blue on shoulders, edges of larger feathers, and on rump. Immature males similar. 

 variously blotched with blue, Very young birds streaked beneath. Length, about 5.75 

 inches; wing nearly 3.00. 



"In this species, which may be considered the type of the genus, 

 the tail is slightly emarginate ; the second quill is longest, the first 

 shorter than the fourth." (Hist. N. Am. B.} 



