66 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis 



souri, where it takes the place of the Eose-breasted Gros- 

 beak so common in the central and northern portions of 

 the state. As large as a female Cowbird, the male Blue 

 Grosbeak looks like an overgrown Indigobird, being deep 

 blue except parts of the wings, which are brown. The 

 female is light brown with very little blue, and that only 

 on the tail. It is not a woodland bird, being rather found 

 along the edge of the woods, and preferring cultivated 

 land. It is a common resident of the orchard, where it 

 likes to make its nest. This is sometimes found in close 

 proximity to occupied houses, where the bird is a great 

 favorite, since its song is one of the sweetest we hear 

 throughout the southern and western Ozark region. It 

 is oftenest heard in the early morning and toward eve- 

 ning and reminds one rather of the song of the Purple 

 Finch than of that of its nearest relative, the Rose- 

 breasted Grosbeak. Although a bird of more northern 

 distribution in the breeding time the Rose-breasted Gros- 

 beak, this beautiful and gifted songster, is by no means 

 a total stranger in the Ozarks, as it is fairly well repre- 

 sented along the northern slope and in the border region, 

 i. e., the region which joins the Ozarks with the western 

 and northern prairie region of the state. 



There is hardly any one of our feathered songsters of 

 a more general distribution through the Ozarks than the 

 Orchard Oriole. Somewhat smaller and of less striking 

 coloration than its cousin, the Baltimore Oriole, it is a 

 much more voluble singer. No orchard, no cluster of 

 shade trees is without a pair and their remarkably lively 

 song is heard all the day long through May and June. 

 They prefer cultivated land to unsettled regions and come 

 into the larger towns where their wonderful grass-woven 

 semi-pendulous nests are built in shade trees of the most 

 frequented streets. While with us their diet consists 

 chiefly in the obnoxious insects which infest our shrubs, 

 and in doing so pay fully for the little fruit which they 

 take from our trees. Like ourselves, birds need some 



