CYANOSPIZA CYANEA, INDIGO-BIRD. 171 



■width ; inside it was two wide, one and three-fourths deep. The eggs, 

 partly hatched, were pale bluish-white, and measured 0.75 by 0.56 inch." 

 He also describes nests simihir in position, but of fibrous roots and bark 

 strips as well as grasses, with a lining of plant-down or horse-hair, and 

 containing four or five eggs. These last correspond with three found 

 in Utah by Mr. Merriam ; " one was on a scrub-oak about three feet 

 high, and the other two were about two feet above the ground. The 

 eggs, generallj' four in number, are laid about the first or middle of 

 June, in a beautiful downy nest, composed of fine grasses and wool, 

 lined with hair." 



According to Mr. Trippe, " the Lazuli Pinch is abundant in Colorado 

 from the plains up to about 6,000 feet, stragglers wandering into Ber- 

 gen's Park, where a few pairs breed, but never venturing beyond 7,000 

 or 8,000 feet, and rarely reaching that limit. A pretty little bird, with 

 much the manners arid voice of the Indigo-bird, and a weak, rambling 

 song, in which the relationship of the two birds is quite apparent." 



'■"'^CYANOSPIZA CYANEA, (Linn.) Bd. 

 Indigo-bird. 



Tanagra cyanea, LiXN., Syst. N.at. i, 1768, 315. 



EnibeHza cyanm, et (.') cwrulea, et (?) ct/anella, Gm., Svst. Niit. 1788, 876, 887. 



FringUla ciianea, WiLS., Am. Om. i, IHIO, 100, pi. 6, f. 5.— Bp., Am. Oru. ii, pi. 11, fig. 3 

 ( 9 ).— Bp., Syu. 1828, 107.— Nurr., Man. i, 1832, 473.— Aud., Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 

 377; V, 1839, f,03; pi. 74. 



Passerina cijanea, "Vieill., 181C."— Gray, Haod-list, ii, 1870, 97, No. 7435 (according 

 to Gray, type of tbe genus, antedating Cijanospiza, Baird, 1858). 



Spisa cyanea, Bp., List, 1838, 35.— Aud., Syn. 1839, 109; B. Am. iii, 1841, 96, pi. 170.— 

 Gir., B. L. I. 1844, 110.— WoODH., Sitgr. Rep. 1853, 87.— Putn., Pr. Ess. Inst, i, 

 1856, 210.— SCL., P. Z. S. 1856, 304 (Cordova).— Eoss, J. f. O. L-^71, 18. 



Cyanospha cyanea, Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 505. — SCL. & Salv., Ibis, 1859, 18 (Guatemala). — 

 SCL., Cat. 1862, 107 (Mexico and Giiatem.ala).— Boardm., Pr. Bost. Soc, is, 

 1862, 128 (Maine, "rare")-— McIlwp.., Pr. Ess. Inst, vi, ISSo, 90 (Canada West, 

 common). — SUMICH., Mem. Bost. Soc. i, 1839, 552 (Vera Cruz, winter), — Lawr., 

 Ann. Lye. viii, 180 (Nicaragua); ix, 1888, 103 (Costa RicaJ; 1839,201 (Yuca- 

 tan).— Salv., P. Z. S. 1870, 190 (Veragua).— Allex, Bull. M. C. Z. ii, 1872, 

 178 (Eastern Kansas).— CoUE.s, Key, 1872, 150.— Sxow, B. Kans. 1873, 8 (very 

 common).— B. B. &. R., N. A. B., ii, 1840, 82, pi. 30, f. 13, 17. 



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



^ ,- Sab. — Eastern Province of the United States. North to Canada and Maine. West 

 •l-O to Kansas aud Indian Territory. South through Texas to Mexico and Central America, 



where it winters. Breeds through most of its United States habitat, from Texas to 



Canada. Cuba (Cab., J. f. 0. iv, 1856, 8). 



Although obtained by neither Expedition, this bird is known to range 

 along the Lower Missouri, having been found in Kansas by several 

 observers. 



The habits of the dainty Indigo bird need not be here given ; they 

 are familiar to all interested in ornithology. The egg is variously 

 described as pure white, plain blue, or bluish, speckled with reddish. 

 The fact appears to be, not that these statements are conflicting or any 

 of them erroneous, but that diflerent eggs vary accordingly. It seems 

 to be the general rule with normally bhiish eggs, that they range in 

 shade from quite blue to Avhite, and are occasionally speckled. Such, 

 for instance, is the case W'ith the eggs of Poospiza bilineata, as notetl by 

 me in the ''American Xaturalist" for 1873, p. 323; and I presume it will 

 so prove to be with those of Cyanospiza amwiia, as it is with Calamospiza 

 hicolor, Uufipiza amerioana, and even Ttirdus fuscescens. Nevertheless, 

 all the numerous eggs before me are plain white, with a faint blue shade. 

 A fair specimen measures 0.72 by 0.52. Eggs of (J. amcena are indistin- 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



