234 Bird Studies. 



thickets. It is made of various plant fibres and lined with similar finer ma- 

 terial and horse hairs. The eggs, three or four in number, are bluish white. 

 They are less than three quarters of an inch long and over half an inch in 

 their median diameter. 



The Indigo Bird is found in the breeding season throughout the Eastern 

 United States, and north to New Brunswick and Minnesota. It winters in 

 Central America. 



The Blue Grosbeak is a bird about seven inches in length. It is a con- 

 spicuous bird on account of its rich color, and is generally found in open 

 country where there are growths of small trees and clumps 

 Blue Grosbeak, of bushes. 



Quiraca caerulea (Linn.). i-i i 11 i-i i- 



The adult male is deep clear blue, which color is 

 darker about the head and face. The wings. and tail are dusky or black, 

 each feather edged narrowly with. blue. There are two reddish brown wing 

 bars. The female is grayish brown above, and a paler shade of the same 

 color prevails on the under parts. The wings are dusky with bars much as 

 in the male, but lighter buffy brown. Some individuals show a slight admix- 

 ture of blue feathers about the head. Immature birds resemble the adult 

 female and adult males in the autumn are much suffused on the back and 

 breast with reddish brown. 



The nest is a compact structure rather deep, and composed of plant 

 fibres and grasses. It is placed in low bushes, or in tangles of the stronger 

 tall weeds. The eggs vary from three to four in number and are pale whitish 

 blue. They are about four fifths of an inch long and two thirds of an inch 

 in their smaller diameter. 



The birds are found in the Eastern United States from Southern New 

 Jersey southward, but do not seem common, except locally, east of the AUe- 

 ghanies. West of these mountains they appear regularly from Southern 

 Illinois southward. They are of casual occurrence in New England. They 

 winter in Cuba and Mexico. 



The Chewink is rather a large finch, being nearly eight inches and a half 



in length. The male is glossy black above including the 



pipiioerythrophth'aimus tail and wings, the entire head, throat, and upper breast. 



(Linm). -phe exposed edges of the larger wing feathers are white, as 



