The Blue Grosbeak. 
(GUIKACA CASRULEA). 
BY C. S. BRIMLEY, RALEIGH, N. C. 
This beautiful bird is not at all common in 
this locality, but its habits and color render it 
much better known than many far commoner 
birds, so well known in fact, as to gain for it 
the local name of Big Indigo, by which it is 
commonly called around Ilaleigh. 
It arrives here in the latter end of April, (Ap- 
ril 26th to May 4th), and leaves a little before the 
middle of September (September 11th to 17th). 
While here it usually frequents grain and 
grass fields, especially in the neighborhood of 
isolated thickets, and is also found in orchards; 
but it never seems to frequent lowland thickets 
or meadows, and I have never observed it in the 
woods, though it may sometimes be found on 
the edges of the latter if the locality is suitable. 
In the beginning of June th'e Blue Grosbeak 
builds his nest in some convenient bush or 
:i small tree, usually at the height of from four 
to five feet. In the construction thereof he 
uses chiefly dead grass and weeds, but usually 
adds some cotton lint and pieces of newspaper 
to give tone and dignity to his dwelling, also 
perhaps to help distinguish it from that of his 
more plebeian little cousin, the Indigo, who 
sometimes builds quite as large a nest, but does 
not seem addicted to the use of cotton and news- 
paper as building material. When the nest is 
finished, it gets still further ornamented after 
a few days by four pale blue delicate looking 
eggs, which very much resemble those of the 
Indigo except in size. (The measurement of 
the only one in my possession just now is .88 
by .66). The color, however, fades on keeping, 
and they lose the delicate, almost transparent 
look of the new-blown egg, becoming white 
and opaque. 
The Blue Grosbeak is a very fair singer; his 
song somewhat resembling that of the Indigo, 
but, to my ear, more liquid as well as greater 
in volume. He does not as a rule, however, 
put in much time on singing, usually content- 
ing himself with a clear, metalic “chip,” which 
both sexes and the young utter when disturbed, 
but also as a call note when two or more are 
together. 
With regard to singing, however, it is greatly 
a matter of individual birds. Last year I only 
heard the song once; this year, one has sung 
idaily within hearing of our house for the last 
two or three weeks, and I shot another while 
singing about a week ago. 
The plumage of this bird is bright blue, in 
the male, with the wings, tail and the feathers 
round the bill black, and wing with chestnut 
wing bars. Males in full plumage, however, 
are rather scarce; the blue of the under parts 
often being more or less mixed or replaced by 
white, and there is often a good deal of brown 
on the back; the head, however, is always 
bright blue. The female is olive brown, more 
yellowish below, wing bars somewhat paler 
than in the male, the second one sometimes 
whitish. The tail in both sexes has the two 
outer tail feathers slightly tipped with white 
or whitish. Young of the year are like the fe- 
male both in size and color. 
Measurements are as follows : male, l. 6.70, 
w. 3.38, t. 2.70, e. 10.75 ; female, a young of 
the year, l. 6.50, w. 3.19, t. 2.51, E. 10.54. 
& 
Co 
J 
<- ' Goniaphea carulea 
Ball, Nil OvO. 4, Jan, S879, p • */(> • 
Q.&O. IX, Feb. 1884. p. 
o 
20 ORNITH( 
= 
lion of the nests, remark many localities 
where they may be slight next season. 
The Blue Grosbeak a restless, wide- 
awake bird. It feeds anej^athers nesting 
material far from its nest. ’ This increases 
the difficulty of finding its abode. When 
disturbed it utters a single scolding note, 
sharp and distinct, repeated at short inter- 
vals. Only twice have I heard the male 
in full song. The notes, except in volume, 
are an exact reproduction of those of the 
Indigo Bunting, which it so closely resem- 
bles. The nests are rather bulky affairs, 
and, except in the varieties of material used, 
are quite characteristic. In the outer part 
it seems to select whatever material suits 
its fancy; paper, weeds, strings, bits of 
cotton or wool are often used. One nest 
was more than half composed of the cast- 
off skins of snakes; several had bits of 
the same material. The lining is always 
composed of dry grass roots, with some 
times a few long horse hairs. The eggs 
are of a pale blue color — which fades on 
; exposure to light. They are about as large 
as the eggs of the common Bluebird, but 
vary much in length. The ends, too, are 
nearly equally rounded. — I). E. E., Man- 
hattan , Kan. 
