Class II. GREEN GROSBEAK. 433 



edges of the outmost quil feathers are yellow, 

 the next green, the farthest grey. The tail is a 

 little forked ; the two middle feathers are wholly 

 dusky ; the exterior webs of the four outmost 

 feathers on both sides the tail are yellow. The 

 colors in the female are much less vivid than in 

 the male. 



These birds are very common in this island : Nest. 

 they make their nest in hedges ; the outside is 

 composed of hay or stubble, the middle part of 

 moss, the inside of feathers, wool, and hair. 

 They lay five or six eggs of a pale green color, 

 marked with blood colored spots. During 

 breeding-time, that bird which is not engaged 

 in incubation, or nutrition, has a pretty way of 

 sporting on wing over the bush. 



Their native note has nothing musical in it ; 

 but a late writer on singing-birds says, they 

 may be taught to pipe or whistle in imitation of 

 other birds. The Green Grosbeak is so easily 

 tamed, that it frequently eats out of the hand 

 five minutes after it is taken, if there is an op- 

 portunity of carrying it into the dark ; the bird 

 should first be put upon the finger, which it 

 does not attempt to move from (as being in 

 darkness it does not know where to fly); the 

 finger of the other hand should then be intro- 

 duced under its breast, which making it incon- 



vol. r. 2 f 



