14 USEFUL BIRDS. 
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER. 
(Plate 3, Fig. 20.) 
A beautiful representative of the warbler family and a strictly 
insectivorous bird, though breeding as it does in the. evergreen 
woods, it consumes more insects there than it does in the neighbor- 
hood of farms. However, even the warblers that pass through this 
latitude in spring and again in the fall, not nesting here, are useful, 
in that they are keen hunters of insects found in our trees at that 
time. The Blackburnian warbler is hardly to be regarded as a 
common bird in Minnesota and it seems quite natural in view of its 
gaudy colors that it should winter in the tropics. It is about five 
and a quarter inches in length, and the male, strikingly colored, is 
indicated in the illustration. The back is streaked with black and 
white and the deep orange shown in the figure extends over the 
chin, throat, and breast; under parts are tinged with the same color. 
Regarded by many as the most beautiful of all the warblers. 
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 
(Gelate ose = 216) 
This beautiful bird and excellent songster is common in almost 
all parts of Minnesota, the male at once recognized by the striking 
black and white coloration and beautiful rose coloring of breast and 
under side of wings. The female is brownish or olivaceous and in 
her the rose of the male is replaced by yellow. As the name indi- 
cates, the bill is strikingly large and, even without the above colors, 
would be sufficient to distinguish these birds from other summer 
bird residents. This species is found breeding as far north as 
southern Canada and throughout its range is a help to the agricul- 
turist. It occasionally eats peas and a little fruit, but consumes 
an enormous number of potato beetles as well as striped cucumber 
beetles. It is reputed as attacking scale insects and the writer has 
seen it foraging for grasshoppers. Canker worms, tent caterpillars, 
army worms, cut worms, chinch bugs, and others are known to be 
included in its dietary. This grosbeak is about eight inches long; 
nests from five to fifteen feet or more from the ground; eggs, four 
or five, light blue with irregular brownish markings. Reaches 
Minnesota generally about the first week in May, though it has 
been noted here the latter part of April. In the Red River Valley 
we have found them common in wooded sections. : 
