200 RICE BUNTING. 



ing, male and female, in the dresses in which they are figured 

 on the plate, arrive within the southern boundaries of the 

 United States ; and are seen around the town of Savannah 

 in Georgia about the 4th of May, sometimes in separate 

 parties of males and females, but more generally promiscu- 

 ously. They remain there but a short time ; and, about the 

 12th of May, make their appearance in the lower parts of 

 Pennsylvania, as they did at Savannah. While here, the 

 males are extremely gay and full of song ; frequenting 

 meadows, newly ploughed fields, sides of creeks, rivers, and 

 watery places, feeding on Mayflies and caterpillars, of which 

 they destroy great quantities. In their passage, however, 

 through Virginia, at this season, they do great damage to 

 the early wheat and barley while in its milky state. About 

 the 20th of May, they disappear, on their way to the north. 

 Nearly at the same time, they arrive in the State of New 

 York, spread over the whole New England States, as far as 

 the river St Lawrence, from Lake Ontario to the sea ; in all 

 of which places, north of Pennsylvania, they remain during 

 the summer, building, and rearing their young. The nest is 

 fixed in the ground, generally in a field of grass; the outside 

 is composed of dry leaves and coarse grass, the inside is lined 

 with fine stalks of the same, laid in considerable quantity. 

 The female lays five eggs, of a bluish white, marked with 

 numerous irregular spots of blackish brown. The song of 

 the male, while the female is sitting, is singular, and very 

 agreeable. Mounting and hovering on wing, at a small 

 height above the field, he chants out such a jingling medley 

 of short, variable notes, uttered with such seeming confusion 

 and rapidity, and continued for a considerable time, that it 

 appears as if half a dozen birds of different kinds were all 

 singing together. Some idea may be formed of this song by 

 striking the high keys of a pianoforte at random, singly, and 

 quickly, making as many sudden contrasts of high and low 

 notes as possible. Many of the tones are, in themselves, 

 charming ; but they succeed each other so rapidly, that the 



