66 Trans. Acad. Sri. of St. Luui.s 



souri, wlicic it lakes the place ol" the lu)>e-l)reastetl (iros- 

 beak so coimnon in i\w eontral and nttrtliorn jtortions of 

 the state. As large as a female Cowhird, tlie male Blue 

 (irosheak looks like an overgrown Indigobird, being deep 

 blue except parts of the wings, which are brown. The 

 female is light brown with very little hhie, and that only 

 on tlie tail. It is not a woodland bird, being rather found 

 along the ('i\\::,{' of the woods, and i)referring cultivated 

 land. It is a common resident of the orchard, where it 

 likes to make its nest. This is sometimes found in close 

 proximity to occupied houses, wliere the bird is a great 

 favorite, since its song is one of the sweetest we hear 

 throughout the southern and western Ozark region. It 

 is oftenest heard in the early morning and toward eve- 

 ning and reminds one ratliei- of the song of the Purple 

 V\\\Q.\\ than of that of its nearest relative, the Kose- 

 breasted Grosbeak. Although a bird of more northern 

 distribution in the breeding time the Kose-l)reasted (Jros- 

 beak, this beautiful and gifted songster, is by no means 

 a total stranger in the Ozarks, as it is fairly well repre- 

 sented along the northern slope and in the border region, 

 i. €., the region which joins the Ozarks with the western 

 and northern prairie region of the state. 



There is hanlly any one of our feathered songsters of 

 a more general distribution through the Ozarks than the 

 Orchard Oriole. Somewhat smaller and of less striking 

 coloration than its cousin, the Baltimore Orioh', it is a 

 much more voluhle singer. No orchard, no cluster of 

 shade trees is without a pair and their remarkably lively 

 song is heard all the day long through May and .lune. 

 They i)refer cultivated land to unsettled regions and come 

 into the larger towns where their wonderful grass-woven 

 semi-pendulous nests are built in shade trees of the most 

 fre<iuented streets. While with us their diet consists 

 chiefly in the obnoxious insects which infest our shrubs, 

 an<l ill doing so pay fully foi- the little fruit which they 

 take from our trees. Like ourselves, birds need some 



