64 BIRDS OF THE WEST 



makes you feel that the bird is singing for its own delight and not 

 for yours, for if you come too near, the bushes will soon be un- 

 tenanted and the music stilled. 



INDIGO BUNTING. 



There are fortunately some birds that require only to be 

 seen to be identified. The indigo bird is one of them. You would 

 never make a mistake in him, but his mate hasn't an indigo 

 feather. She's done in sepia and is an indigo bird only by courte- 

 sy. Her husband is the blue-feathered aristocrat and he's some- 

 thing of a snob too. As he is a cousin to the sparrows that are 

 such common birds, he no doubt feels that he is the swell member 

 of the family and looks down upon his relatives. 



Nearly everyone that I have ever seen was posing upon a 

 telegraph or telephone wire. That is about as high as they ever 

 fly and that is higher than sparrows generally rise. 



The male is a rather pretty singer but disappointing. He 

 starts out with his song as though he were going to make the 

 valleys and the woodland ring with his rapid warble and then 

 it frazzles out and fades away and you feel as though he thought 

 to himself ' ' Oh, what 's the use of singing to common people ! ' ' 

 He always acts about his singing as though he were just home 

 from conservatory and wanted to be coaxed. 



Emerson says that the theory of compensation runs through 

 everything and it is true that while Nature is lavish enough with 

 her gifts she keeps a pretty nice balance after all. The birds 

 of brightest plumage are rarely those of sweetest song. Your 

 flicker with his fancy vest has a voice like an auctioneer and 

 your blue jay with his loud clothes has a gambler's voice as well. 

 The wood duck is probably the best dressed bird in the country, 

 but he has a poor ear and a poor voice for music. When it comes 

 to solo work with its tone placing and phrasings and tremulos 

 give us the brown thrasher or the plain gray catbird and for 

 choruses give us the blackbird. 



The indigo bird seems to have a well trained voice. 



He is one of the birds that make you feel that he is a long 

 way from home, for he is rare in Dakota and very unlike any 

 others of our birds. He really shows royal tropical colors and you 



