THE INDIGO BUNTING. 



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[^ HE Indigo Bunting's arrival 

 at its summer home is usually 

 in the early part of May, 

 where it remains until about 

 the middle of September. It is numer- 

 ous in the eastern and middle states, 

 inhabiting the continent and seacoast 

 islands from INIexico, where they 

 winter, to Nova Scotia. It is one of 

 the very smallest of our birds, and 

 also one of the most attractive. Its 

 favorite haunts are gardens, fields of 

 deep clover, the borders of woods, and 

 roadsides, where, like the Woodpecker, 

 it is frequently seen perched on the 

 fences. 



It is extremely active and neat in 

 its manners and an untiring singer, 

 morning, noon, and night his rapid 

 chanting being heard, sometimes loud 

 and sometimes hardly audible, as if he 

 were becoming quite exhausted by his 

 musical efforts. He mounts the highest 

 tops of a large tree and sings for half 

 an hour together. The song is not 

 one uninterrupted strain, but a repe- 

 tition of short notes, " commencing 

 loud and, rapid, and full, and by almost 

 imperceptible gradations for six or 

 eight seconds until they seem hardly 

 articulated, as if the little minstrel 

 were unable to stop, and, after a short 

 pause, beginning again as before." 

 Baskett says that in cases of serenade 

 and wooing he may mount the tip 

 sprays of tall trees as he sings and 

 abandon all else to melody till the 

 engrossing business is over. 



The Indigo Bird sings with equal 

 animation whether it be ]\Iay or 

 August, the vertical sun of the dog 

 days having no diminishing effect 

 upon his enthusiasm. It is well 



known that in certain lights his plum- 

 age appears of a rich sky blue, varying 

 to a tint of vivid verdigris oreen, so 

 that the bird, flitting from one place 

 to another, appears to under^^o an 

 entire change of color. 



The Indigo Bunting fixes his nest 

 in a low bush, long rank grass, grain, 

 or clover, suspended by two twigs, 

 flax being the material used, lined 

 with fine dry grass. It had been 

 known, however, to build in the hollow 

 of an apple tree. The eggs, generally 

 five, are bluish or pure white. The 

 same nest is often occupied season 

 after season. One which had been 

 used for five successive summers, was 

 repaired each year with the same 

 material, matting that the birds had 

 evidently taken from the covering of 

 grape vines. The nest was very neatly 

 and thoroughly lined with hair. 



The Indigo feeds upon the ground, 

 his food consisting mainly of the seed 

 of small grasses and herbs. The male 

 while moulting assumes very nearly 

 the color of the female, a dull brown, 

 the rich plumage not returning for 

 two or three months. INIrs. Osgood 

 Wright says of this tiny creature: 

 " Like all the bright-hued birds he is 

 beset by enemies both of earth and 

 sky, but his sparrow instinct, which 

 has a love for mother earth, bids him 

 build near the ground. The dangers 

 of the nesting-time fall mostly to his 

 share, for his dull brown mate is easily 

 overlooked as an insignificant sparrow. 

 Nature always gives a plain coat to 

 the wives of these gayly dressed 

 cavaliers, for her primal thought is the 

 safety of the home and its young life." 



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