BLUE GROSBEAK 95 



near water. Miss Merriam * writes one as cue, cue, 

 kip, kip, kip, kip," and says : " In the Washington Zoo 

 Cardinals are common, and after February their song 

 often rings through the bare woods." 



Blue Grosbeak : Guiraca coerulea. 



Length 7 inches. 



Male, general color deep blue. 



Wings and tail black, edged with blue, the wings marked 

 with two chestnut bands. 



Bill heavy and bluish. 



Female, upper parts grayish-brown, under parts brownish- 

 buff. 



Resident (rare) from May i to September 30. 



The dark blue of the male Grosbeak needs sunshine 

 to bring out its rich beauty, for seen in the shade 

 it looks almost black. His mate is entirely different, 

 having soft neutral tints which make her difficult to 

 discern in the weeds and tangled briars where they 

 make their home. They frequent the wild growth 

 which borders small streams, and there, in the crotch 

 of a bush, or in tall weeds, the grassy nest is built, 

 and in it are laid three or four bluish-white eggs. 



These birds are quiet and sedate in their move- 

 ments, and have a habit, fortunate for the observer, of 

 sitting motionless for some minutes at a time. Mr. 

 Ridgway writes : " The usual note is a strong, harsh 

 ■ptchick, and the song of the male is a very beautiful, 

 though rather feeble, warble." While Blue Gros- 

 beaks are considered rare, they are not infrequently 

 seen about Kensington, Falls Church and Anacostia. 



* In Birds of Village and Field. 



