640 HISTORY OF THE 



Habitat. United States, chiefly south of latitude 42°; win- 

 tering in the Gulf States, the Bahamas, Cuba, and eastern Mexico 

 to Guatemala; breeding from Cuba northward throughout their 

 range. (Replaced in Arizona, California and western Mexico 

 hj P. ccerulea oljscur'a.) 



Sp. Char. "Above, grayish blue, gradually becoming bright blue on the 

 crown; a narrow frontal band of black extending backwards over the eye; under 

 parts and lores bluish white, tinged with lead color on the sides. First and sec- 

 ond tail feathers white except at the extreme base, which is black, the color ex- 

 tending obliquely forward on the inner web; third and fourth black, with white 

 tip, very slight on the latter; fifth and sixth entirely black. Upper tail coverts 

 blackish plumbeous; quills edged externally with pale bluish gray, which is 

 much broader and nearly white on the tertials. Female without any black on 

 the head." 



Iris dark brown; bill black, the under sometimes pale at base; 

 legs, feet and claws blackish. 



These delicate little birds are as much at home in the shrubby 

 bushes on the hillsides, or mesquite growths on the plains, as 

 within the treetops of the heavily-timbered bottom lands; a 

 nervous, restless species, that, in their quest of insect life, nim- 

 bly skip from branch to branch, with partially-spread wings, and 

 flirting tails, held more or less erect, now and then darting like 

 a flash into the air to catch the passing flies; a tireless picture 

 of bustling energy, that only ceases with the day. 



They are not naturally social, and when met with in small 

 flocks straggle about regardless of the movements of others. 

 Even their wiry "Tsee-tsee-tsee" sounds more like an utterance 

 of content and self-satisfaction than a call note. They also oc- 

 casionally utter, much like the Catbird, the faint mew of a kitten. 

 Their soft, warbling love song is varied, tender, and full of 

 melody, but so low the hearer must stop to listen in order to 

 fully catch its silvery tones. 



Their nests are usually saddled between and woven to up- 

 right twigs in the branches of treetops, ranging from ten to 

 fifty feet from the ground; beautiful nests, composed of stem- 

 like stemlets, bits of leaves and feathers, woven together with 



