INDIGO BUNTING 149 



These inhabit every sort of country except the deep forest ; 

 some are local, and never occur except in salt marshes or wet 

 meadows ; others, like the Song Sparrow and the Chipping 

 Sparrow, are widely distributed. The White-crowned, Tree, 

 and Fox Sparrows breed north of the United States, and 

 occur here only as migrants ; others, such as the White- 

 throated Sparrow and the Junco breed only in northern Xew 

 York and New England. In trying to identify a brown 

 Sparrow one should notice first of all whether the breast is 

 streaked or not ; the next important point to settle is the 

 presence or absence of yellow, buff, or black lines on the 

 side of the head. 



Indigo Buntixg ; Ixdigo-bikd. Cyanosjnza cyanea 



5.59 



Ad. $ . — Entire body deep indigo-blue, deepest on the head, 

 often with greenish reflections; wings and tail brown, the feathers 

 margined with blue. Ad. ^ and Ln. — Upper parts light brown, 

 vnstreaked ; under parts grayish, washed with brown, especially 

 on the breast ; wings and tail sometimes margined with bluish, 

 Ad. $ in autumn. — Like the 9? hut wings and tail decidedly 

 bluish. 



Nest, in low bushes, a foot or two from the ground. Eggs, 

 white. 



The Indigo-bird is a common permanent resident of Xew 

 England and New York, very common on the upland region 

 of Xew England, but not known to occur on Cape Cod. It 

 arrives early in May, and remains till October. It frequents 

 bushy roadsides, overgrown pastures, and the edges of wood- 

 land. In the fall it is found in low gardens or cornfields, 

 or neglected weedy spots. 



The male generally sings from the top of some low tree, 

 where his deep color fades into the blue or light-colored 

 background of the sky. The song is difficult for beginners 

 to remember ; it consists often of sets of phrases given in a 



