GONIAPHEA CCERULEA, BLUE GROSBEAK. 169 



sapling, about five feet above tiie ground, and was composed of pieces 

 of grass and vines laid carefully together, with their ends sticking out 

 four or live inches ; it contained two fresh eggs." Mr. Trippe writes to 

 me as follows : 



" The Black-headed Grosbeak arrives in the lower valleys of Bergen's 

 Park, Colorado, about the 20th of May, and by the Ist of June has be- 

 come quite numerous throughout the park. It rarely ventures higher 

 than 7,500 feet, however, as it is rare in the valley of Clear Creek, and, 

 indeed, quite uncommon outside of Bergen's Park,' but is abundant 

 from there down to the plains. It is the exact counterpart of the Rose- 

 breasted Grosbeak in its flight, manner of feeding, and general habits 

 and actions, and its song closely resembles that of the latter bird, but 

 is nevertheless distinguishable. In September it disappears from the 

 upper range in the mountains." 



GONIAPHEA CCSEtJLEA, (Linn.) Gray. 

 Bine Grosbeak. 



Zoxia conrulea, Linn., Syst. Nat. i, 1766, 306.— WiLS., Am. Orn. iii, 1811, 78, pi. 24, f. 6. 



Chtiraca coci-ulea, Sw., Philos. Mag. i, 1827, 438 (Mexico).— Bp., List, 1838, 30.— Woodic, 

 Sitsr. Rep. 1853, 81 (Indian Territorv and Texas, very common).— Newb., P. R. 

 R. Rep. vi, 1857, 88.— Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 499.— Sor.., P. Z. S. 1859, 365 (Xala.pa); 

 378 (Oaxaca); Cat. 1862, 101.— HaYD., Rep. 1862, 168.— COUBS & Pi^knt., 

 Smiths. Rep. 1861 (1862), 413 (Washington, D. C, May to Sept., breeding, 

 rather rare). — Boaedm., Pr. Bost. Soc. ix, 1862, 127 (Calais, Me., "very uncer- 

 tain, but common in the spring of 1861"). — Veur., Pr. Ess. Inst, iii, 1.58 

 (Maine, " accidental"). — CouES, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 88 (Arizona, summer). — 

 Lawk., Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii, 1866, 286 (New Yorli, rare) ; ix, 1868, 10-J (Co.sta 

 Rica) ; ix, 1869, 200 (Yucatan).— CouES, Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1868, 264 (New 

 Englaud, rare or occasional). — Codes, Pr. Bost. Soc. xii, 1868, 116 (South 

 Carolina, summer, not uncommon). — ToRNB., B. E. Pa. 43 (rare stragglci). — 

 SuMiCH., Mem. Bost. Soc. i, 1869, 552 (Vera Cruz, wintering), — Coop., B. Cal. 

 i, 1870, 230 (whole of California).— B. B. & R., N. A. B. ii, 1874, 77, pi. 29, f. 4, 5. 



Fringilla am-ulea, Licht., Verz. 1823, 22.— Bp., Syn. 1828, 114.— Ndtt., Man. i, 183i, 529.— 

 AUD., Orn. Biog. ii, 1834, 140 ; t, 1839, 508; pi. 122. 



Coccoborus ccerulcus, Sw., Class. B. ii, 1837, 277. — AuD., Syn. 1839, 132. — Auc, B. Am. iii, 

 1841, 204, pi. 204.— Cab., Mus. Hein. i, 1852, 152; J. f. 0. iv, 13.-;6, 9 (Cuba).— 

 PuTN., Pr. Ess. Inst, i, 1856, 228 (Massachusetts, casual). — Heerm., P. R. R. 

 Rep. X, part vi, 1859, 51.— Finsch, Abh. Nat. 1870, 339 (Mazatlan). 



Cyanoloxia coerulea, Bp., Consp. Av. i, 1850, 502. 



Goniaphea cwrulea, ScL., P. Z. S. 1856, 301 (Cordova). — Gray, Hand-list, No. 75, 35. — 

 Cooes, Key, 1872, 149, fig. 93. 



Ba&.^IJnited States, southerly, from Atlantic to Pacific. In the east, north to Mid- 

 dle States regularly; to Connecticut Valley occasionally ; to Maine casually. In the 

 interior, north to the Pl.atte. In the west, north through California. Breeds thi'ough- 

 out its United States range. Winters in Mexico and Central America. Cuba {Cahanis). 



Lieutenant Warren's Expedition. — 9285-87, Loup Fork of the Platte. 



Not obtained by Captain Raynolds' Expedition. 



This is essentially a southern bird, whose desultory northward exten- 

 sion is perceived from the foregoing quotations. It appears to visit the 

 Middle States regularly, yet rarely, and is not common north of Mary- 

 land — in fact, I know of no locality in the United States where it can 

 be said to be abundant. I used to get it every season about Washing- 

 ton, where it breeds; it was quite common in tiie old fields and pastures 

 just north of the city. I have also shot young birds in Arizona, in 

 August. The nest is placed in the crotch of a bush or dwarfish shrub 

 — rarely on the lower limbs of trees — generally in an old, neglected 

 field, half overrun with shrubbery, or on the adjoining edge of an open 

 piece of woods. It is built of fine, dried grasses, rather inartistically, 

 and lined with rootlets or hair. The eggs are of the palest blue shade 



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