PAINTED BUNTING 



71 



lower parts, vermilion ; back and scapulars glossy yellow, stained 

 with rich green, and in old birds with red; lesser wing coverts 

 purple; larger green; wings dusky red, sometimes edged with 

 green; lower part of the back, rump and tail coverts deep glossy 

 red> inclining to carmine ; tail slightly forked, purplish brown (ge- 

 nerally green) ; legs and feet leaden grey ; bill black above, pale 

 blue below; iris of the eye hazel. 



The female (fig. 2.) is five and a half inches long, and eight 

 inches in extent; upper parts green olive, brightest on the rump; 

 lower parts a dusky Naples yellow, brightest on the belly, and 

 tinged considerably on the breast with dull green, or olive; cheeks 

 or ear-feathers marked with lighter touches ; bill wholly a pale lead 

 color, lightest below; legs and feet the same. 



The food of these birds consists of rice, insects, and various 

 kinds of seeds that grow luxuriantly in their native haunts. I also 

 observed them eating the seeds or internal grains of ripe figs. 

 They frequent gardens, building within a few paces of the house ; 

 are particularly attached to orangeries ; and chant occasionally 

 during the whole summer. Early in October they retire to more 

 southern climates, being extremely susceptible of cold. 



