BLUEBIRD. 
163 
exteriorly light brown, but the bird has in that case not arrived at his 
full color. 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 near 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 Avinter ; as also in Mexico, Brazil, and Guiana. 
Mr. Edwards mentions that the specimen of this bird Avhich he was 
favored with, was sent from the Bermudas ; and as these islands abound 
with the cedar, it is highly probable that many of those birds pass from 
our continent thence, at the commencement of winter, to enjoy the 
mildness of that climate as well as their favorite food. 
As the Blue-bird is so regularly seen in winter, after the continuance 
of a few days of mild and open weather, it has given rise to various 
conjectures as to the place of his retreat. Some supposing it to be in 
close sheltered thickets, lying to the sun ; others the neighborhood of 
the sea, where the air is supposed to be more temperate, and where the 
matters thrown up by the waves furnish him with a constant and plenti- 
ful supply of food. Others trace him to the dark recesses of hollow 
trees, and subterraneous caverns, where they suppose he dozes away the 
winter, making, like Bobinson Crusoe, occasional reconnoitering excur- 
sions from his castle, whenever the weather happens to be favorable. 
But amidst the snows and severities of winter I have sought for him in 
vain in the most favorable sheltered situations of the Middle States ; 
and not only in the neighborhood of the sea, but on both sides of the 
mountains.* I have never, indeed, explored the depths of caverns in 
search of him, because I would as soon expect to meet with tulips and 
butterflies there, as Blue-birds, but among hundreds of woodmen, who 
have cut down trees of all sorts, and at all seasons, I have never heard 
one instance of these birds being found so immured in winter; while in 
the whole of the Middle and Eastern States, the same general observa- 
tion seems to prevail that the Blue-bird always makes his appearance in 
winter after a few days of mild and open weather. On the other hand, 
I have myself found them numerous in the woods of North and South 
Carolina, in the depth of winter, and I have also been assured by 
different gentlemen of respectability, who have resided in the islands of 
Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas and Bermudas, that this very bird is 
common there in winter. We also find, from the works of Hernandes 
Piso and others, that it is well known in Mexico, Guiana and Brazil; 
and if so, the place of its winter retreat is easily ascertained, without 
* I speak of the species here general/;/. Solitary individuals are found, particu- 
larly among our cedar trees, sometimes in the very depth of winter. 
