BLUE GROSBEAK. 55 



is of a light yellowish flaxen color, streaked with dark olive and whitish ; 

 the breast is streaked with olive, pale flaxen, and white ; the lining of 

 the wings is pale vellow ; the bill more dusky than in the male, and the 

 white on the wing less. 



Species III. LOXIA CJEBULEA. 



BLUE GROSBEAK. 



[Plate XXIV. Fig. 6.] 



LixN. Syst. 304. — Latham, Si/u. hi., p. 116. — Arcf. Zool. p. 351, No. 217. — Catesby, 

 Car. I., 39.— Bi:ffo.\, hi., 454. PI. Enl. 154. 



This solitary and retired species inhabits the warmer parts of Ame- 

 rica, from Guiana, and probably farther south,* to Virginia. Mr. 

 Bartram also saw it during a summer's residence near Lancaster, Penn- 

 sylvania. In the United States, however, it is a scarce species ; and 

 having but few notes, is more rarely observed. Their most common 

 note is a loud chuck; they have also at times a few low sweet toned 

 notes. They are sometimes kept in cages in Carolina : but seldom sing 

 in confinement. The individual represented in the plate was a very 

 elegant specimen, in excellent order, though just arrived from Charles- 

 ton, South Carolina. During its stay with me, I fed it on Indian corn, 

 which it seemed to prefer, easily breaking with its powerful bill the 

 hardest grains. They also feed on hemp seed, millet, and the kernels 

 of several kinds of berries. They are timid birds, watchful, silent and 

 active, and generally neat in their plumage. Having never yet met 

 with their nest, I am unable at present to describe it. 



The Blue Grosbeak is six inches long, and ten inches in extent ; lores 

 and frontlet black ; whole upper parts a rich purplish blue, more dull 

 on the back, where it is streaked with dusky ; greater wing coverts 

 black, edged at the tip with bay ; next superior row wholly chestnut ; 

 rest of the wing black, skirted with blue ; tail forked, black, slightly 

 edged with bluish, and sometimes minutely tipped with white ; legs and 

 feet lead color ; bill a dusky bluish horn color ; eye large, full and 

 black. 



The female is of a dark drab color, tinged with blue, and considerably 

 lightest below. I suspect the males are subject to a change of color 

 during winter. The young, as usual with many other species, do not 



* Latham, 11., p. 116. 



