BLUE-BIRD. Al 
is never seen on trees, though it makes its nest in the holes of them!” * 
might as well have said, that the Americans are never seen in the 
streets, though they build their houses by the sides of them. For what 
is there in the construction of the feet and claws of this bird to prevent 
it from perching? Or what sight more common to an inhabitant of 
this country than the Blue-Bird perched on the top of a peach or apple- 
tree ; or among the branches of those reverend, broad-armed chestnut- 
trees, that stand alone in the middle of our fields, bleached by the 
rains and blasts of ages ? . 
The Blue-Bird is six inches and three quarters in length, the wings 
remarkably full and broad; the whole upper parts are of a rich sky 
blue, with purple reflections ; the bill and legs are black; inside of 
the mouth and soles of the feet, yellow, resembling the color of a ripe 
persimmon ; the shafts of all the wing and tail-feathers are black; 
throat, neck, breast, and sides, partially under the wings, chestnut ; 
wings, dusky black at the tips; belly and vent, white; sometimes the 
secondaries are exteriorly light brown, but the bird has in that case 
not arrived at his full color. The female is easily distinguished by 
the duller cast of the back, the plumage of which is skirted with light 
brown, and by the red on the breast being much fainter, and not de- 
scending nearly so low as in the male; the secondaries are also more 
dusky. This species is found over the whole United States ; in the 
Bahama Islands, where many of them winter; as also in Mexico, 
Brazil, and Guiana. 
Mr. Edwards mentions, that the specimen of this bird which he was 
favored with, was sent from the Bermudas; and, as these islands 
abound with the cedar, it is highly probable that many of those birds 
pass from our continent thence, at the commencement of winter, tc 
enjoy the mildness of that climate as well as their favorite food. 
As the Blue-Bird is so regularly seen in winter, after the contin- 
uance of a few days of mild and open weather, it has given rise to 
various conjectures as to the place of his retreat; some supposing it 
to be in close, sheltered thickets, lying to the sun; others, the neigh- 
borhood of the sea, where the air is supposed to be more temperate, 
and where the matters thrown up by the waves furnish him with a 
constant and plentiful supply of food. Others trace him to the dark 
recesses of hollow trees, and subterraneous caverns, where they sup- 
pose he dozes away the winter, making, like Robinson Crusoe, oc- 
casional reconnoitring excursions from his castle, whenever the weather 
happens to be favorable. But amidst the snows and severities of win- 
ter, I have sought for him in vain in the most favorable sheltered sit- 
uations of the Middle States ; and not only in the neighborhood of the 
sea, but on both sides of the mountains; I have never, indeed, ex- 
plored the depths of caverns in search of him, because I would as 
down, and returning immediately with the prey in their bill, where it is retained for 
a few minutes, while they repeat their uniform note. The young, as soon as they 
are able to fly, have the same manners with their parents, and at the season when 
these are first on the wing, some extensive commons have appeared almost entirely 
in motion with our common species. — Ep. 
* Synopsis, vol. ii. p. , 
+ I speak of the species here generally. Solitary individuals are found, particu- 
larly among our cedar-irees, sometimes in the very depth of winter. 
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