PAINTED BUNTING. 203 



coverts purple; larger green; wings dusky red, sometimes edged 

 with green; lower part of the back, rump and tail coverts deep 

 glossy red, inclining to carmine; tail slightly forked, purplish 

 brown (generally green); legs and feet leaden gray; bill black 

 above, pale blue below; iris of the eye hazel. 



The female (fig. 2. ) is five and a half inches long, and eight 

 inches in extent; upper parts green olive, brightest on the rump; 

 lower parts a dusky Naples yellow, brightest on the belly, and 

 tinged considerably on the breast with dull green, or olive; 

 cheeks or ear-feathers marked with lighter touches; bill wholly 

 a pale lead colour, lightest below; legs and feet the same. 



The food of these birds consists of rice, insects, and various 

 kinds of seeds that grow luxuriantly in their native haunts. I 

 also observed them eating the seeds or internal grains of ripe 

 figs. They frequent gardens, building within a few paces of 

 the house; are particularly attached to orangeries; and chant oc- 

 casionally during the whole summer. Early in October they 

 retire to more southern climates, being extremely susceptible of 

 cold. 



