278 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



Mourning Dove, both Cuckoos, Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Rose- 

 breasted Grosbeak, Cedar Waxwing, Maryland Yellow-throat, Can- 

 ada Warbler, Catbird and Veery. 



Indigo Bunting; Indigo-bird. Passerina cyanea (Linn.) 



This little bird is smaller than the English Sparrow. Its entire 

 body is brilliant blue, darker on the head. The wing and tail 

 feathers have blackish or dusky edgings. The female is plain gray- 

 ish brown, not striped beneath, with a faint bluish tinge to the 

 wings not easily detected in the field. She is liable to be mistaken 

 for a sparrow unless in the company of her mate. 



The Indigo Bunting is one of the commonest birds in the Park. 

 In fact it is more abundant in this region than in any other with 

 which I am acquainted. I consider it second only to the Song 

 Sparrow in numbers here. It is an inhabitant of thickets mainly, 

 but is also found along the stream border among low bushes, its 

 distribution and associations being quite similar to those of the 

 Towhee. 



The song of this bird is loud, high-pitched and not particularly 

 musical in quality. It is quite A^ariable in form, but usually decidedly 

 rhythmic, the notes being grouped in ones, twos and threes, each 

 group occupying the same amount of time. The pitch moves up 

 and down irregularly, but all the notes of one group are pitched 

 alike. 



The nest of this bird is in a thick bush or tangle of vines, usually 

 not more than three feet from the ground. The eggs are white or 

 faintly tinged with blue. 



Towhee; Chewink. Pipilo erythrophtJiahnus erythrophthalmus 

 (Linn.) 



This bird is nearlv as long as the Robin, with a rather long tail 

 and short wings. The male is mainly black above, with white 

 marks in wing and tail, black breast, white under parts, and sides 

 broadly brownish red. The female is a soft brown where the male 

 is black, but otherwise similar, while young birds are striped in dull 

 brown. 



The Towhee is quite common in the Park, and found mainly in 

 thickets that are either second growth where forests were cut over, 

 or old pasture lands overgrown with bushes and young trees. It 

 prefers thickets on the drier hillsides as a rule, but is sometimes 

 found in valleys along streams. It is a bird of the ground and low 

 bushes, getting much of its food by scratching among leaves and 

 debris. 



The call of this bird, " chewink," is a clear note with an upward 

 slur, from which it derives its names. " Chewink " sounds to 

 me more like the call than " towhee." The song consists most 

 often of two notes, followed by a trill. Most commonly the first 

 note is highest, the second lowest and the third medium in pitch, 

 but the first notes are sometimes reversed. The words " drink 

 your tea " have been put to it, and while this is a better fit than 



