448 NOTES ON THE 



struction generally consist of soft grasses, feathers and wool, 

 carelessly disposed, but adapted to warmth in the early season 

 of the year in which the first brood is brought forth. 



Five eggs are the common number laid, sometimes six and 

 sometimes only four, colored light blue with a faint tinge of 

 greenish. Two and three broods are usually reared in the 

 season. Their food consists of large beetles, spiders and other 

 common insects during summer, and berries, fruits and seeds 

 later in the year. I need not attempt to describe its pleasing 

 song or special habits which are so very well known, for it is a 

 recognized favorite everywhere it goes. The Bluebird begins 

 to be less frequently seen about the middle of October but is 

 not usually without some representative during the remainder 

 of the month and exceptionally into November. 



Its distribution is universal wherever there is timber, except 

 perhaps the denser portions of the sunless forests. It is never 

 as abundant as the Robin, but only less so in most localities. 



Mr. Washburn thought it rather sparingly represented in 

 autumn in the valley of the Red river. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Entire upper parts including wings and tail continuous and 

 uniform azure blue; the cheeks of a duller tint of the same; 

 beneath reddish-brown; the abdomen, anal region and under 

 tail coverts, white; bill and feet, black; shafts of the quills and 

 tail feathers black. Female with the blue lighter and tinged 

 with brown on the head and back. 



Length, 6.75; wing, 4.00; tail, 2.91. 



Habitat, eastern North America north to latitude 48°; west 

 to western Kansas and lower Missouri regions. 



SIALIA MEXICANA Swainson. (767.) 

 WESTERN BLUEBIRD. 



- I was not aware that this bird had been identified amongst 

 the rare visitors of Iowa, until after placing it in my list of the 

 birds of Minnesota, in October, 1880, as a straggler undoubt- 

 edly. I am very familiar with the bird on the Pacific coast 

 where I met it constantly from latitude forty- five, southward to 

 San Diego. I could see no marked difference in its habits from 

 the eastern bluebird. It chose the same kind of places for its 

 nest and the same kinds of food for nourishment. I never saw 

 any such marked proclivity to build in the immediate vicinities 

 of dwellings and outhouses, but attributed this to its inferior 

 powers of song failing to enlist the interest of families to invite 



