BEHIND THE BARS 279 
and come in, we may say, as second cousins, and like 
the Mockingbird, aside from the beauty of song, are 
very valuable insect-eaters. The other three birds have 
the conical beak that stamps them as members of the 
family of Finches and Sparrows. 
“Rich colour is the chief attribute that sets the Indigo 
Bunting apart from its kin of the tribe of Gees 
Sparrows and Finches. 
“Blue that is decided in tone, and not a bluish gray, 
is one of the rarest hues among the birds of temperate 
zones; for one may count the really blue birds of the 
eastern United States upon the fingers of one hand. 
“This Bunting belongs to the tree-loving and tree- 
nesting part of his tribe, in company with the Gros- 
beaks, and the brilliant yellow American Goldfinch, 
whose black cap, wings, and tail-feathers only enhance 
his beauty. The Sparrows, of sober stripes, nest on or 
near the ground, and their plumage blends with brown 
grass, twigs, and the general earth-colouring, illustrat- 
ing very directly the theory of colour protection, while 
the birds of brilliant plumage invariably keep more 
closely to the trees. 
“In size the Indigo Bunting ranks with the small Spar- 
rows, coming in grade between the Field- and the Song- 
sparrows, and being only slightly larger than the Chippy. 
The female wears a modification of the Sparrow garb, 
the upper parts being ashy brown without stripes, the 
underparts grayish white, washed and very faintly 
streaked with dull brown, the wings and tail-feathers hav- 
ing some darker edges and markings. 
‘“When it comes to painting the plumage of the male in 
