OQ8 THE BLUE GROSBEAK. 



From Texas to New Jersey, and up the Mississippi to Memphis. Rocky 

 Mountains. Rather rare. Migratory. 



Blue Grosbeak, Loxia ccerulea, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. iii. p. 78. 



Fringilla ccerulea, Bonap. Syn.. p. 114. 



Blue Grosbeak, Fringilla ccerulea, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 529. 



Blue Grosbeak, Fringilla ccerulea, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 140; vol. v. p. 508. 



Adult Male. 



Bill rather short, robust, bulging a little at the base, conical, acute; upper 

 mandible with its dorsal outline very slightly convex, as is the lower, both 

 rounded on the sides, the edges acute and straight to near the base, where 

 they are a little deflected. Nostrils basal, roundish, open, partially concealed 

 by the feathers. Head rather large, neck short, body robust. Legs of mode- 

 rate size; tarsus of the same length as the middle toe, covered anteriorly 

 with a few scutella, the upper long, posteriorly sharp edged; toes scutellate 

 above, free, the lateral ones nearly equal; claws slender, arched, compressed, 

 acute. 



Plumage soft, rather compact above, blended beneath. Wings of moderate 

 length, third and fourth primaries longest. Tail rather long, emarginate. 



Bill pale greyish-blue beneath and on the edges of the upper mandible, 

 the rest of which is dusky. Iris brown. Feet dusky. The general colour 

 of the plumage is deep purplish-blue. Lore, chin, and a line round the base 

 of the mandibles, black. Quills and larger coverts brownish-black, the pri- 

 maries edged with blue, the secondary quills, secondary coverts and first 

 row of smaller coverts light reddish-brown. Tail feathers brownish-black, 

 edged with blue, as are the under tail coverts. 



Length 7^ inches, extent of wings 11; bill along the ridge T 7 2, along the 

 edge ||; tarsus 1. 



Adult Female. 



Bill as in the male, but paler. Feet brown. Head and hind part of the 

 back, as in the male; the back, sides of the neck, and fore part of the breast 

 greyish-brown, tinged with dull blue. The rest of the under parts yellow- 

 ish-grey. The wings are nearly as in the male, but lighter, and the black 

 at the base of the bill is wanting. The dimensions are somewhat less than 

 those of the male. 



Young bird fully fledged. 



Bill yellowish-grey, dusky above. Feet brown. The general colour is 

 light greenish-brown, the upper part of the head, the back, smaller wing 

 coverts and upper tail coverts tinged with dusky. The wings and tail are 

 as in the female. 



