34 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



(liri'ctinn from wliiili I liad approached. This jx»ciiliar, lirciiitons, conccaltMl 

 tli-'lit is a verv cliaraiteristic trait of this hinl, and one sure to excite atteii- 

 tion. 



As the season advanced, or ahout the lOtli of April, when the pairing 

 season was at hand, the son^ of the males l)ecame «j;reatly improved, increas- 

 ing in sweetness and vivacity, ami full of rai>turous emotion ; their manners, 

 also, Ik'came changed, for they had lost all their wariness. In ]>aying their 

 attentions to their mates, the males would tlv from Imsh to bush, M'ith a 

 ])eculiar, tremulous fluttering of the wings, which, when the hird alighted, 

 were raised ahove the back apj)arently touching each other; all the while 

 vibrating with the emotion and ecstasy that a<jitated the singer. 



The song of this bird, though very deficient in }M>wer, — in this resj>ect 

 equalling no other species of M'unina' with which I am acquainted, — is 

 nevertheless sui>erior to most of them in sweetness, vivacity, and variety. 

 It has a wonderful resemblance to the beautiful subtle warbling of the 

 liiijuhiH caliniJtila, having in fact very much the sr.me style, with much of 

 the tone, and about the power of the song of the Pi/nniffa rnbra. 



When the birds are engaged in incubation, the males become very silent, 

 and one not familiar with their habits earlier in the season would think thev 

 never had a voice ; in fact, they make no i)rotestations even when the nest is 

 disturbed, for, while blowing the eggs, I have had the parent l>irds running 

 around me, in the manner of a robin, now and then halting, stretching for- 

 ward their heads, and eying iw in the most anxious manner, but remaining 

 I^erfectly silent. When the young are hatched the i)arents become more 

 solicitoiis, signifying their concern by a low, subdued diiick. At all times 

 when the nest is ap]n-oached, the bird generally leaves it slyly before one 

 approaches very near it. 



The nest is very bulky, composed externally of rough sticks, principally 

 the thornv twigs of the various " sage bush " plants. Nearer the centre the 

 principal material is fine strips of inner bark of these jdants ; and the lining 

 consists of finer strips of bark, mingled with fine roots, and l)its of r.ildut 

 fur. The situation of the nest varies but little, being gener.dly placed 

 near the middle of a bush, that is, about eighteen inches from the ground. 

 It is generally suj)ported against the main trunk, upon a horizontal bmnch. 

 Several were found upon the ground beneath the bush, one, in fact, embedded 

 in the soil, like that of a Pipilo ; or as sometimes the Ciise with the Har- 

 j)orh)inchuii rvfns, others, again, were found in brush-heaps. In all cases, 

 the nest was very artfully conce.iled, the situation being so well selected. 



This bird is almost Cipudly common in all parts of its habitat, within the 

 limits indicated. In June, we found it abundant on the large islands in the 

 Great Salt Lake, where many nests w^ere found. 



In autumn, it feeds, in company with many other birds, upon berries, 

 " service berries " being its especial favorite. 



