292 Notice of some American Birds. 



evidently breeding, although I was unable to find their nests. They 

 were visible only for about two hours in the morning, from 6 to 8 

 o'clock, after which, they retired into the thickest woods and re- 

 mained quiet. They were most frequent around the edges of the 

 woods, and in partially cleared spots ; the male and female flew to- 

 gether, and were always near each other, when on the trees or the 

 ground. The male was restless, noisy, and garrulous, its note like 

 chacTc, chacTCy chacTCj frequently and quickly repeated in different 

 keys; it was sometimes on the ground, sometimes climbing up the 

 long grass — ^but generally on low trees ; the female was silent and 

 more quiet ; they were tame, and allowed me to approach near 

 them ; and flew only a short distance on being disturbed, their hab- 

 its seemed a mixture of those of the crow and the jay families — not 

 so grave as the one, nor so brisk and amusing as the other, and their 

 plumage is a link between the dark colors of the former, and the 

 brilliancy of the latter. On dissection, their stomachs were found to 

 be very full of large green beetles ; the only insect they had fed on, and 

 there was no appearance of either "moss, worms, or flesh." The 

 male agreed exactly with Wilson's description, the fem^ale has the 

 following plumage. Length eleven inches, plumage soft, blended, 

 dull ; feathers shaftless, and unwebbed on the back ; entire color 

 deep leaden grey, deepening into dull black on the head and wings, 

 and into blue on the tail, the latter tipped with dirty white ; interior 

 of the wings brown and glossy ; exterior vane of the primaries edg- 

 ed with dull white ; secondaries tipped with the same ; plumage of 

 the head loose and slightly crested ; vent dirty white ; bill deep hom 

 *' color, the upper mandible tinged with grey at the base ; a broad line 

 of light grey runs along the edge of it; the quills of the wings and 

 tail deep black; in other respects, it resembles the male, except 

 that her plumage was not so thick, a common circumstance at this 

 season, and that her shape was not so broad, but more delicately 

 formed. The skin was much thicker than that of the male, and of 

 a peculiar appearance, like parchment ;. her eggs were large, and 

 one was ready for laying. This was without doubt, therefore, an 

 adult. Wilson says, on the authority of Hearne, that they build 

 early in the spring at Hudson's Bay ; here they are either much la- 

 ter, or have two broods in the year. 



Embkriza Pecoris, (JVih.) Both Wilson and Audubon agree 

 in stating, that the eggs of the bird, in whose nest the cow bunting 

 lays, are never matured ; but are removed when the young bunting 



