THE BLUE GROSBEAK. 



(Guiraca ccerulea.} 



THIS beautiful specimen of the 

 finch family is found in the 

 southern United States from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific, 

 although very local and irregularly dis 

 tributed. It is occasionally found 

 north to Kansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania 

 and Connecticut. The male is brilliant 

 blue, darker across the middle of the 

 back. The female is yellowish brown 

 above, brownish yellow beneath, dark 

 est across the breast, wings broadly 

 edged with brownish yellow. Some 

 times there is a faint trace of blue on 

 the tail. The young resemble the 

 female. Males from the Pacific coast 

 region have tails considerably longer 

 than eastern specimens, while those 

 from California are of a much lighter 

 and less purplish blue. 



The blue grosbeak is a very incon 

 spicuous bird. Unless seen under the 

 most favorable circumstances the adult 

 male does not appear to be blue, but 

 of a dusky color, and Ridgway says 

 may easily be mistaken for a cow black 

 bird, unless carefully watched; besides 

 they usually sit motionless, in a watch 

 ful attitude, for a considerable time, 

 and thus easily escape observation. 



The blue grosbeak frequents the 

 thickets of shrubs, briars and tall weeds 

 lining a stream flowing across a meadow 

 or bordering a field, or the similar 

 growth which has sprung up in an old 

 clearing. The usual note is a strong 

 harsh ptchick, and the song of the male 

 is a very beautiful, though rather feeble, 

 warble. At least two broods are raised 

 during a season. 



ODD PLACES CHOSEN. 



GUY STEALEY. 



IT would seem that nature had pro 

 vided enough space and a sufficient 

 variety of nooks and corners for 

 birds to choose from and build 

 their nests in; yet it is a strange fact that 

 many of them often prefer to follow 

 man, and select, for their homes, some 

 spot he has planned and made. 



In the fields one often sees the nests 

 of robins and blackbirds built between 

 the rails of pole fences, and sometimes 

 catbirds choose this situation for a 

 home. Around the barns will be 

 found the swallows and their curious 

 nests of mud. Then there are those 

 cheerful and always friendly little 

 birds, the wrens, which think that our 

 houses are just the homes they would 

 like, too; and any box or can, or what 

 is prettiest of all, a minia'ure cottage 

 placed on a fence, will rarely ever re 

 main unoccupied during the summer. 

 Even the shy bluebirds, whose sheen 

 of feathers seems to be borrowed from 

 the sky, like to peep into these. 



Of all the wild birds, I believe I love 



the wrens the best. They are always 

 so busy and yet so companionable. 

 Last spring, when the days began to 

 get warm, I left the window of my 

 room open to admit the fresh free air; 

 and on going in there one day I spied 

 one of these spry little fellows peeping 

 and hopping around the curtains, 

 which were looped up, forming a cozy 

 recess. He did not seem to be alarmed 

 at my presence, but calmly went on 

 with his inspection; and would you 

 believe it, the next morning the pair 

 of them were busy constructing their 

 nest in this nook. I let the window 

 remain open all summer, and they 

 raised their family there. 



But the strangest of all strange sites 

 in which I ever found a nest was nearly 

 at the bottom of a deep well! This 

 well was walled up with rock and a 

 couple of brown field birds carried 

 twigs and grass down it and formed 

 their nest on a projecting spur of stone. 

 Why they should choose such a loca 

 tion as this it is hard to tell. 



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