Birds of Indiana. 981 



fed with the beetles which their parents gathered. When a careful 

 inspection was made, a few da3's later, not a beetle, old or young, 

 could be found; the birds had swept them from the field and saved 

 the potatoes" (Farmers' Bulletin No. 54, U. S. Dept. of Agr., p. 29). 

 "Of eight specimens examined, six had eaten small seeds; two, seven 

 beetles; and one, berries" (King, Geol. of Wis., I., p. 542). Prof. 

 Forbes notes they eat canker worms, which, in some he examined, 

 formed 66 per cent, of their food (Eept. Mich. Hort. Soc, 1881, p. 

 204); also army worms and other caterpillars, wood-boring, leaf- 

 chafing and snout beetles, and hymenoptera. 



The latest dates at which they have been observed, in fall, are as 

 follows: Plymouth, Mich., September 3, 1894; Lebanon, Ind., Sep- 

 tember 12, 1894; Lafayette, September 15, 1894; Bieknell, September 

 28, 1894; Sedan, September 22, 1889; Warren County, September 18, 

 1897; Chicago, 111., September 26, 1895; Brookville, Ind., October 5, 

 1887. 



139. Genus GUIRACA Swainson. 



232. (597). '-^Guiraca caerulea (Linn.). 



Blue Grosbeak. 



Adult Male. — Deep blue, darker on the back; chin, lores and tail 

 feathers, black; wings, black, edged with blue; middle and secondary 

 wing coverts, tipped with rufous-brown or chestnut. Adult Female 

 and Immature. — ^Yellowish-brown above; brownish-yellow beneath; 

 darkest on breast; wings and tail, fuscous; wing crossed by two bars of 

 ochraceous-buff; tail, faintly tinged with blue. 



Length, 6.35-7.50; wing, 3.35-3.60; tail, 2.70-2.90. 



Range. — Xorth America, from Cuba and Mexico to southern Ne- 

 braska, southern Indiana and South Carolina. Casually to New Eng- 

 land. Winters south of the United States. 



Nest, in bush, or low in tree, at edge of wood or field, of grass, 

 lined with rootlets and hair. Eggs, 3-4; pale bluish-white; .84 by .66. 



Of rare or accidental occurrence in the southwestern part of the 

 State. Mr. Robert Ridgway observed a specimen in Knox County 

 in the spring of 1881. That is the only record of its occurrence in In- 

 diana. Mr. Ridgway notes it as rare in southern Illinois, and it has 

 been observed in Kentucky. This species is quite local and inconspic- 

 uous. It frequents localities similar to those occupied by the Indigo 

 Bunting. The song is said to resemble that of the Purple Finch. 

 In summer they are said to live chiefly upon insects, but through fall 

 and winter they subsist mainly upon wild fruits and seeds. 



