176 

 WESTERN BLUE-BIRD. 



tSialia occidewtalis, Towns. 



PLATE CXXXV.— Male and Female. 



Of this handsome bird, which was discovered by Mr. Townsend, Mr. 

 Nuttall has favoured me with the following notice: — "The Western Blue- 

 bird possesses many of the habits of our common kind. The male is equally 

 tuneful throughout the breeding season. Mounting some projecting branch 

 of an oak or low pine, he delivers his delightful ditty with great energy, 

 extending his wings, and exerting all his powers as it were to amuse his 

 sitting mate, or to allure attention to his short, often-repeated, but thrilling 

 lay. In the midst of all this charming employment economy is rarely 

 forgotten, and a crawling beetle or busy insect is no sooner seen than 

 snatched up by our still watchful songster, who resumes his wonted perch, 

 to be again interrupted by the cares of providing a subsistence; or, reite- 

 rating his melody, strives to drown the song of some neighbouring rival by 

 tender strains and more earnest endeavours. He appears also equally 

 solicitous with our common species to shew his affection for his mate, whom 

 he constantly accompanies, feeds, and caresses with an ardour of affection 

 seldom rivalled. His song is more varied, sweet and tender than that of the 

 common Sialia, and very different in many of its expressions. In the small 

 rocky prairies of the Columbia, near its bank, where I first heard and saw 

 this species, they were exceedingly shy, probably in consequence of the 

 presence of birds of prey, which prowled around, and it was with difficulty 

 that we got sight of them, but afterwards, in the vicinity of Santa Barbara, 

 in Upper California, I saw them in considerable numbers, and very familiar, 

 making at this time (April) their nests in the knot-holes of the oaks which 

 abound in the neighbouring plains. We first met a flock of young birds 

 alone, in the winter, near to Fort Vancouver, flitting through the tall fir 

 trees, like so many timorous and silent winter passengers. These had so 

 much the appearance of young of the common species, that for some time 

 we paid little attention to them; but their silence, the absence of the usual 

 complaints of t shaye vit, &c, and at length their different notes, convinced 

 me of their being distinct, previous to any examination of their plumage. 

 This species, unlike Sialia arclica, does not extend to the mountains, but 



