Nests in Trees, Bushes, or Vines 
Adult 2 — Upper parts grayish brown, tinged more or less with 
blue ; under parts creamy brown. Length—7.00. 
Breeding Range—From southern New Jersey and southern Illinois, 
southward. 
The nest is composed of leaves, plant stems, and some- 
times a piece of snake skin, and is lined with fine roots and hair. 
It is placed in bushes or vines, usually from five to thirty feet 
from the ground. 3 to 4 pale bluish eggs, rarely spotted with 
reddish brown, are laid. Size—.84 x .63. 
These rather rare birds frequent scrubby ground and thickets, 
where they commence nesting in May. 
598. Indigo-bird; Indigo Bunting: Passerina cyanea 
(Linn.) 
Adult 4—Intense blue on the head ; other parts rather lighter. 
Adult °—Upper parts plain brownish ; under parts grayish, the 
breast being indistinctly streaked. Length—5.59. 
Breeding Range—Throughout the Eastern States. 
The nest is composed of grass, leaves, downy seeds, and 
fine roots, lined with fine grass and hair. It is usually near the 
ground (sometimes within one foot), in a low bush or weeds ; if 
in a bush, it is placed in a crotch ; if in weeds, such as the Joe- 
pye weed, nettle, or others of a similar nature, it is hung from 
the stems, with practically no support from beneath. 3 to 4 
white eggs are laid ; they are slightly tinged with blue and rarely 
marked with fine dots. Size—.75 x .55. 
While the male Indigo-bird perches on the telegraph pole— 
a blue spot against a blue sky—and sings throughout the summer 
day, his sparrow-like mate is attending to her household duties 
in the scrub below. She attracts no attention ; her dusky colour 
and quiet manner will never draw any person to her carefully 
hidden nest. During the tedious duties of incubation she is 
visited repeatedly by her mate, but he goes to and from the nest 
in such an erratic manner that it is most difficult to follow him. 
The nest, which is not at all a neat structure, requires from two 
to four days to build. The eggs hatch after ten days of incuba- 
tion, and in a surprisingly short time the young are ready to leave 
the nest and hide themselves in the tangle of vines and bushes. 
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