BLUE BIRD. 
61 
But whoever informed Dr Latham, that “ this bird is never 
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 
the same elevated situations, looking 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. 
