A TRIBE OF WEED WARRIORS 245 



THE INDIGO BIRD 

 (The Blub Canary) 



"Blue birds and blue flowers are both rare ; you can 

 count our really blue birds on the fingers of one hand, 

 and a Blue Canary is even stranger than a green rose 

 or a black tulip. 



" The Indigo Bird has many of the Canary's gentle 

 ways, and though his music is not so fine or varied as 

 that of the Goldfinch or Song Sparrow, he sings a sweet 

 little tune to his brown mate on her nest in the bushy 

 pasture. 



" She is fortunate in having a dull dress ; for, if she 

 were as splendidly blue as her husband, nesting would 

 be a very anxious occupation for her. Indeed, her poor 

 mate has anything but an easy time ; his color is so 

 bright that everybody can see him at a glance, and 

 when he picks up grass-seed in the streaming sunlight, 

 his feathers glisten like sapphires." 



" We saw an Indigo Bird yesterday ! " cried Nat and 

 Dodo together. '' It was in the geraniums by the din- 

 ing-room window, eating the seed I tipped out of my 

 Canary's cage when I cleaned it," continued Dodo. 

 " Mammy Bun said it was a Blue Canary, but Nat said 

 it couldn't be, and I forgot to ask about it." 



" Are you going to tell us about many more birds in 

 the Finch family, Uncle Roy?" 



'' Not now. You liave heard about those that will 

 be most likely to attract your attention, and when you 

 can name them, they will introduce you to all the rest 

 of their relations." 



