BLUE BIRD. 6 r 



seen on trees, though it makes its nest in the holes of them ! " * 

 might as well have said, that the Americans are never seen in 

 the streets, though they build their houses by the sides of 

 them. For what is there in the construction of the feet and 

 claws of this bird to prevent it from perching? Or what 

 sight more common to an inhabitant of this country than the 

 blue bird perched on the top of a peach or apple tree, or 

 among the branches of those reverend broad-armed chestnut 

 trees that stand alone in the middle of our fields, bleached by 

 the rains and blasts of ages ? 



The blue bird is six inches and three quarters in length, 

 the wings remarkably full and broad ; the whole upper parts 

 are of a rich sky-blue, with purple reflections ; the bill and 

 legs are black ; inside of the mouth and soles of the feet, 

 yellow, resembling the colour of a ripe persimmon ; the shafts 

 of all the wing and tail-feathers are black ; throat, neck, breast, 

 and sides, partially under the wings, chestnut ; wings, dusky 

 black at the tips ; belly and vent, white ; sometimes the 

 secondaries are exteriorly light brown, but the bird has in 

 that case not arrived at his full colour. The female is easily 

 distinguished by the duller cast of the back, the plumage of 

 which is skirted with light brown, and by the red on the breast 

 being much fainter, and not descending nearly so low as in the 

 male ; the secondaries are also more dusky. This species is 

 found over the whole United States ; in the Bahama Islands, 

 where many of them winter; as also in Mexico, Brazil, and 

 Guiana. 



Mr Edwards mentions, that the specimen of this bird which 

 he was favoured with was sent from the Bermudas ; and, as 



out for food, taking the insects seldom on the wing, but generally by a 

 sudden spring, or leap down, and returning immediately with the prey 

 in their bill, where it is retained for a few minutes, while they repeat 

 their uniform note. The young, as soon as they are able to fly, have 

 the same manners with their parents, and at the season when these are 

 first on the wing, some extensive commons have appeared almost entirely 

 in motion with our common species. — Ed. 

 * Synopsis, vol. ii. p. 446, 40. 



