)LOGIST 
19 
The Blue Grosbeak, (Guiraca ccerulea.) 
This beautiful bird, although widely dis- 
tributed in the United States in the breed- 
ing season, is nowhere abundant. Perhaps 
it is as common as anywhere along the 
sparsely wooded streams and ravines in 
Central Kansas. For the benefit of those 
who have not had opportunities to study 
its habits in the field, I desire briefly to re- 
view my notes of this species made during 
the past three years. 
Previous to 1881, I had observed the 
Blue Grosbeak only during the Spring mi- 
gration, and did not really know that it was 
resident here. In June of that year, I 
found my first nest of the species. It was 
built in a peach tree in an orchard ; was 
about six feet from the ground and con- 
tained two eggs with two Cowbird’s eggs. 
The four eggs, being alike in size and 
shape, but so different in color, presented 
a pleasing contrast. When found, the nest 
was occupied by the female ; but as I was 
not familiar with the species I failed to 
recognize the bird in the approaching twi- 
light. The eggs, except for the size, re- 
sembled those rrf the Indigo Bunting. As 
I was three or four miles from home, I 
took the set, hoping to be able to identify 
them by my future observations. It did 
not take much research to satisfy me fully 
as to their identity. 
Having now become satisfied that the 
species nested in this locality, I kept a 
sharp lookout for their nests in 1882, The 
males arrived about the middle of May, but 
I saw no females until about the first of 
June. On June 12th, I found a nest con- 
taining two eggs. It was built ahnost en- 
tirely of bits of newspaper, old letters, 
etc., with a few weeds ; and had a lining 
of grass roots, taken from the surface of 
plowed fields. It was built in a small wild 
plum bush, about three feet from the 
ground. The nest was near a dwelling 
house. I left it for the full set ; but upon 
visiting it a few days later, I found only 
the scattered materials of the nest and a 
few bits of scattered egg shells. About 
this time a female (I have not yet seen the 
male assist in house-building,) built a nest 
about twenty feet from a dwelling near 
town. This nest was in the lower branches 
of a cotton-wood, six feet up. I watched 
it for about ten days, but the bird deserted 
it without laying. This nest, too, was 
built largely of newspapers. 
The failure of the previous year made 
me still more anxious to succeed in 1883. 
My earliest record of the arrival of the 
males is on the fourth of May. On June 
4th, I saw a female carrying material for 
nesting ; and after carefully concealing my- 
self, I was rewarded by finding the par- 
tially built nest, well hidden in tangled 
underbrush near the Kansas River. It 
was built upon the lower horizontal limb of 
a box-alder, two feet from the ground. On 
June 8tli, the bird laid the first egg, but a 
day or two later a tornado wrecked this 
nest, with, perhaps, hundreds of others in 
its path. On June 15th, found a nest of 
three eggs, about half incubated. This 
nest was in a ravine in low bushes, and had 
escaped the fury of the storm. June 21st, 
found a set of four fresh eggs ; June 23d, 
a set of three ; and July 4th, a set of four, 
all fresh. About this time three nests were 
found by another local collector. Two of 
these contained three eggs, and the third, 
two of the Grosbeak’s and one of the Cow- 
bird’s. I obtained two of these sets by 
exchange. It was now too late in the sea- 
son to secure other sets ; but afterward, 
knowing its habits, I found many deserted 
nests. Even during the past two months, 
in my hunting excursions, I have been 
able, from my knowledge of the construe- 
