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WESTERN BLUE-BIRD. 
SlALIA OCCIDENTALIS, Towns. 
PLATE CXXXY. — Male and Female. 
Of this handsome bird, which was discovered by Mr. Townsend, Mr. 
Nuttall has favoured me with the following notice : — “The Western Blue- 
bird possesses many of the habits of our common kind. The made is equally 
tuneful throughout the breeding season. Mounting some projecting branch 
of an oak or low pine, he delivers his delightful ditty with great energy, 
extending his wings, and exerting all his powers as it were to amuse his 
sitting mate, or to allure attention to his short, often-repeated, but thrilling 
lay. In the midst of all this charming employment economy is rarely 
forgotten, and a crawling beetle or busy insect is no sooner seen than 
snatched up by our still watchful songster, who resumes his wonted perch, 
to be again interrupted by the cares of providing a subsistence ; or, reite- 
rating his melody, strives to drown the song of some neighbouring rival by 
tender strains and more earnest endeavours. He appears also equally 
solicitous with our common species to shew his affection for his mate, whom 
he constantly accompanies, feeds, and caresses with an ardour of affection 
seldom rivalled. His song is more varied, sweet and tender than that of the 
common Sialia, and very different in many of its expressions. In the small 
rocky prairies of the Columbia, near its bank, where I first heard and saw 
this species, they were exceedingly shy, probably in consequence of the 
presence of birds of prey, which prowled around, and it was with difficulty 
that we got sight of them, but afterwards, in the vicinity of Santa Barbara, 
in Upper California, I saw them in considerable numbers, and very familiar, 
making at this time (April) their nests in the knot-holes of the oaks which 
abound in the neighbouring plains. We first met a flock of young birds 
alone, in the winter, near Fort Vancouver, flitting through the tall fir 
trees, like so many timorous and silent winter passengers. These had so 
much the appearance of young of the common species, that for some time 
we paid little attention to them ; but tlfeir silence, the absence of the usual 
complaints of t shaye vit, &c., and at length their different notes, convinced 
me of their being distinct, previous to any examination of their plumage. 
This species, unlike Sialia arctic a, does not extend to the mountains, but 
