310 PERCHERS AND SINGERS 



hand, Mrs. Mabel Osgood Wright warmly contends that the 

 song of the Grosbeak is both sweet to hear and abundant in 

 volume. It is celebrated as an enemy of the potato-bug, and 

 it feeds omnivoronsly upon other insects, buds, blossoms, seeds 

 and fruit. 



The range of this species is bounded by the great Rocky 

 Mountain barrier. Westward thereof is found the Black- 

 Headed Grosbeak, and the arid lands of Texas, Arizona and 

 southern California are inhabited by the Western Blue Gros- 

 beak. 



The bluest bird that flies in North America is the Indigo 

 Bunting, 1 a trim little craft, built and rigged like a warbler, 

 and of warbler size. Like the ocean, it is 



Deeply, darkly, beautifully blue, 



— not the sky-blue of the jay, but like indigo. In the East 

 you cannot possibly mistake it. The deep-blue bird of the 

 Far West is the Lazuli Bunting, our bird's nearest relative. 



THE BLACKBIRD FAMILY 



Icteridae 



This Family includes several showy species of birds which 

 are very much in evidence, and quite generally known to 

 country dwellers. Five representative and very interesting 

 species will be noticed. 



The Bobolink 2 is a bird with two very distinct char- 

 acters. It has a name and a suit of feathers for the North, 



1 Cy-a'no-spi-za cy-a'ne-a. Length, 5.50 inches. 



2 Dol-i-chu'nyx o-ry-ziv'o-rus. Length, 6.75 inches. 



