Blue and Bluish 



deserted, as she frequently does. It is almost excusable to take 

 her young birds and rear them in captivity, where they invariably 

 thrive, mate, and live happily, unless death comes to one, when 

 the other often refuses food and grieves its life away. 



In the wild state, when the nesting season approaches, both 

 birds make curious acrobatic flights above the tree-tops; then, 

 after a short sail in midair, they return to their perch. This 

 appears to be their only giddiness and frivolity, unless a dust- 

 bath in the country road might be considered a dissipation. 



In the autumn a few pairs of doves show slight gregarious 

 tendencies, feeding amiably together in the grain fields and retir- 

 ing to the same roost at sundown. 



Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 



(Polioptila ccerulea) Gnatcatcher family 



Called also .- SYLVAN FLYCATCHER 



Length — ^4.5 inches. About two inches smaller than the English 

 sparrow. 



Male — Grayish blue above, dull grayish white below. Grayish 

 tips on wings. Tail with white outer quills changing gradu- 

 ally through black and white to all black on centre quills. 

 Narrow black band over the forehead and eyes. Resembles 

 in manner and form a miniature catbird. 



Female — More grayish and less blue, and without the black on 

 head. 



Range — United States to Canadian border on the north, the Rockies 

 on the west, and the Atlantic States, from Maine to Florida ; 

 most common in the Middle States. A rare bird north of 

 New Jersey. Winters in Mexico and beyond. 



Migrations — May. September. Summer resident. 



In thick woodlands, where a stream that lazily creeps through 

 the mossy, oozy ground attracts myriads of insects to its humid 

 neighborhood, this tiny hunter loves to hide in the denser foliage 

 of the upper branches. He has the habit of nervously flitting 

 about from twig to twig of his relatives, the kinglets, but unhap- 

 pily he lacks their social, friendly instincts, and therefore is rarely 

 seen. Formerly classed among the warblers, then among the fly- 

 catchers, while still as much a lover of flies, gnats, and mosquitoes 

 as ever, his vocal powers have now won for him recognition 



