EASTERN BLUE GROSBEAK 69 



included the stems of a small mint, English plantain, and ironwood. 

 The lining was composed of fine, long pieces of grass stems. The 

 inside of the nest was 3 inches long, 2% inches wide, and 2 inches deep, 



Mangum Weeks writes me of finding a nest with two recently- 

 hatched young in a swamp maple near a brackish creek in St. Mary's 

 County, Md., on Aug. 3, 1950, The male in attendance was 

 in immature plumage. 



Eggs. — The set of blue grosbeak eggs is commonly four, although 

 sometimes only two or three, and more rarely five eggs are laid. 

 They are ovate with occasional tendency toward short-ovate, or 

 elongated-ovate, and have a slight luster. The eggs are very pale 

 bluish-white, unmarked. 



The measurements of 50 eggs average 22.0 by 16.8 millimeters; 

 the eggs showing the four extremes measure 24-1 by 17.9, 22.4 by 

 19.6, 19.8 by 16.5, and 21.0 by 15.0 millimeters. 



Young. — Incubation seems to be performed entirely by the female 

 and to last about 11 days. According to observations made by 

 Mrs. Archie Middleton (1899), in Nebraska, the young remain in the 

 nest for about 13 days. They are fed while in the nest by both parents, 

 though the male is more active in this after the young have left the 

 nest and while the female is busy in building her second nest. 

 Apparently, two broods are commonly raised in the southern parts 

 of the range. 



Audubon (1841) writes: "When the first broods leave their parents, 

 the young birds assemble in small flocks composed of a few families, 

 and resort mostly to the rice fields, feeding on the grain when yet in 

 its milky state, and until it is gathered. The parents join them with 

 their second brood, and shortly after, or about the first days of 

 September, they all depart southward." 



On July 31, according to McKinley {in lit.), the nest he watched 

 contained two newly hatched young and one egg, which hatched later. 

 On August 8 the flight feathers had broken from their sheaths and the 

 abundance of pinfeathers caused the birds' heads to appear rough and 

 spiny. The nest was crowded, and one of the young sat above the 

 level of the rim resting on the backs of the other two young. The 

 latter had only their heads free. On August 9 the feathers of the head, 

 back, and wing coverts had broken from their sheaths to some extent, 

 and the wing coverts had begun to show their bars. The nest was 

 found deserted the evening of the next day. 



Plumages. — D wight (1900) describes the juvenal plumage of the 

 blue grosbeak as "above, bistre, grayish on the rump, russet tinged on 

 the pileum, the feathers with wood-brown or russet edgings. Wings 

 and tail dull clove-brown, with wood-brown edgings, two indistinct 



