6io Fii:!.i) MusKUM oi'^ Natural History Zoology, Vol. IX. 



wing coverts and tail. Mack, more "V less marked with wliitc; 

 the primaries and outer tail leathers, heavily marked with while; 

 rump, white; upper tail coverts, black, tipped with white; bill, 

 brownish white. 



Adult female: Under winsj;, cox'crts, bri,L,dU saffron-yellow; ui)])cr 

 parts, grayish brown, streaked with ilusky brown and more or less 

 tinged with olive brown on the rump; crown and sides of head, dark 

 grayish brown, a whitish streak in centre of crown and a white suj;er- 

 ciliary stripe; wings and tail, gra\-ish brown; wing coverts, tijiped 

 with white; throat, breast and sides of body, tinged with pale buff 

 and streaked with dusky; belly, whitish. 



Length, about 8 ; wing, 4; tail, 3; bill, .65. 



This beautiful species is a common summer resident in northern 

 Illinois and Wisconsin, and occurs during migrations in southern 

 Illinois. It is one of the most beautiful of our birds and of special 

 value to the agriculturist as, besides other insects, it eats the potato 

 beetle. The male is one of our most gifted songsters, its delight- 

 ful warble being \'aried and \-ery sweet. 



It breeds in May and June. The nest is in bushes or low trees 

 and is composed of rootlets and dry stalks of weeds, etc. The eggs 

 are from 3 to 4, rarely 5, pale greenish blue or bluish green, marked 

 and speckled with various shades of brown, and measure about .96 

 X .67 inches. 



Genus GUIRACA Swainson. 



275. Guiraca caerulea (Linn.). 

 Blue Grosbeak. 



Distr.: Eastern United States, southern Illinois, Nebraska and 

 southern New Jersey to Florida and the Giilf states, south in winter 

 to Cuba and eastern Mexico (Yucatan); breeds throughout its 

 United States range. 



Adult male: General plumage, dark blue; chin and region about 

 base of bill, black; wings and tail, blackish brown; middle and 

 greater wing coverts, tipped with chestnut, forming w4ng bars. 

 (In assuming adult plumage the feathers of the back are edged with 

 chestnut, and the feathers of under parts narrowly edged with 

 whitish) . 



Adult female: Upper parts, brown, the head, clear browm, shading 

 to gra^dsh brown on the rump; under parts, buffy brow^n, palest on 

 throat and belly; wing and tail, grayish brown, the greater and 

 middle wing coverts, edged and tipped with tawnv brown. 



