104 



THE OSPREY. 



ing. The light tips of the teleoptile primaries 

 are absent or reduced. The change in the adult 

 birds seems to be similar, but the tertials change 

 with the primaries, probably progressing through 

 the secondaries. 



Not enough specimens of the other forms of 

 this genus are at hand to determine their exact 

 course, but the subject is interesting, and should 

 be investigated. 



In the closely related Cuban bird. Nesoceleus 

 fernandinee, we have plumage values very sim- 

 ilar to the mesoptile plumage of the Flicker tho' 

 the concentration of color is much less complete. 

 The male has a perfect malar stripe, while the 

 female has the same region together with tin- 

 entire throat and under neck covered with 

 numerous black spots on a grayish and yellowish 

 ground. The pattern of color and marking- "f 

 the birds are very similar to those of the Flicker, 

 but are evidently more generalized. The spe- 

 cies probably represents a type through which 

 our Colaptes have progressed in fixing their 

 specialization, the spotted throat of the female 

 being a stage on the young' toward a concentra- 

 tion of the black on the malar region of the 

 North American birds, and on the throat for 

 many South American species. Unfortunately 

 young birds, which must be extremely interest- 

 ing in this connection, are not accessible, and 

 are probably not in collections, as the species is 

 rather rare. 



To work out these values properly we should 

 possess a complete series of the South American 

 Colaptes and correctly sexed. As far as examin- 

 ed they appear to possess a mesoptile-like or 



generalized style of plumage with the black and 

 yellow areas specializing in a different location 

 "than is seen in the North American species. 



I am almost at a loss to account for this early 

 disappearance of such a strongly marked 

 feathered tract. The change by molt in such a 

 young bird, and in one sex only of two sharply 

 defined small black areas into a color similar 

 to that of the surrounding area is apparently 

 unique; at least I have not been able to learn of 

 another. 



The possession of a permanent red malar 

 stripe by the female C. mexicanoides compli- 

 cate- the matter still further. But the question 

 may well be asked, is the adult female auratus 

 acquiring the black malar or is she losing it? 

 Did she in some time in her past have black- 

 malar stripes during- her whole life or will she 

 at some time in the far distant future acquire 

 this same distinction which has already been 

 reached by the males of all the species and by 

 the females of some. The fact that occasion- 

 ally adult female Flickers have a dark or reddish 

 malar -tripe is evidence for either side of the 

 question. I am inclined to consider that as the 

 -inn of the black areas are greater in the 

 mesoptile plumage than in the teleoptile, we 

 may have here a bird whose ancestors were 

 much darker, and that the specialized tendency 

 of the coloration is toward concentration and 

 definiteness, and that the retaining of the malar 

 black by the male is a purely psychological or 

 higher character. We have, however, much to 

 learn from the immature of the more tropical 

 and older, or less advanced species. 



BLUE GROSBEAK IN EASTERN KANSAS. 

 By Walter Scott Coi.vin, Osawatomie. Kan. 



In the past six years, up to the spring of 1901, 

 I have observed three male Blue Grosbeak- in 

 this, Miami County, within a few miles of the 

 Missouri State line. This year I was more for- 

 tunate in observing four more birds, and also in 

 securing a set of eggs. 



On the morning of April 30, 1901, I heard a 

 male Grosbeak singing in town. Its pretty 

 song came from a Box-Elder tree which stood 

 near a dwelling. 



On the eve of May 23, 1901, I observed a pair 

 of Blue Grosbeaks catching insects on the wing, 

 in a cornfield, by a roadside, one mile north of 

 town. From their actions I judged them mated, 

 although the male was silent, and did not utter a 

 sound. The female quite often gave vent to her 

 notes of "chink chink. " Formerly an immense 

 Osage hedge grew, for a considerable distance, 

 on the east side of the road at this point; but 

 this has been cleared away exposing a heavy 

 growth of buck bushes. It was in these clumps 

 that I looked for a nesting site without avail. 



On May 2 c >th. I revisited the spot, and found 

 what I took to be a nest of this species, situated 

 eighteen inches from the ground in a crotch 

 of a small buck bush that grew in a thick clump 

 of the same shrub. The nest contained a single 

 egg. No birds were observed. 



( >n the morning of June 2, 1901, I again visited 

 the nest, and was not only surprised; but elated 

 to find Mrs. Blue Grosbeak at home attending 

 to domestic affairs. Upon flushing her from 

 the nest I found that it contained four light 

 blue eggs, which I left until the afternoon in 

 order to photograph them. 



When I returned to the nest in the afternoon 

 she flu-lied easily, and quickly disappeared. 

 She did not return while I was in the vicinity of 

 the nest. Upon this last trip I did not get a 

 glimpse of the male. 



The nest was composed of Corn shucks, leaves 

 and stems, grass, pieces of sheep wool, fiberous 

 parts of plants; lined with fine wiry rootlets, fine 

 grasses and black and white horse hairs. The 

 inside diameter was 2', inches; the inside depth 

 2 inches; the outside depth 4 inches; and the 

 outside diameter 4 inches. 



In color and shape the eggs resemble those of 

 the Indigo Bunting: but thev are of larger size. 

 Measuring .82 x .on. .83 x .62, .85 x .63, .85 x .63. 



< 'n June 21. I observed another male Blue 

 Grosbeak singing- in a bunch of willows some 

 two miles south .if town. 



