. . favorite nesting sites. The three or four eggs are palebluish-white. The nest is constructed outwardly of deadleaves and sometimes bits of paper are used. The liningis of fine grass and a little horse hair. The abodes are wellhidden in dense places, and the males often retire fifty orone hundred yards from the nesting site, thereby sparingthe female any uneasiness because of her mates conspicu-ous plumage. The edges of timber tracts, roadsides, andpastures overgrown with shrubbery are usually haunts ofthe indigo bird, whose compa
. . favorite nesting sites. The three or four eggs are palebluish-white. The nest is constructed outwardly of deadleaves and sometimes bits of paper are used. The liningis of fine grass and a little horse hair. The abodes are wellhidden in dense places, and the males often retire fifty orone hundred yards from the nesting site, thereby sparingthe female any uneasiness because of her mates conspicu-ous plumage. The edges of timber tracts, roadsides, andpastures overgrown with shrubbery are usually haunts ofthe indigo bird, whose company is shared by the towheeand little field sparrow. Sometimes the indigo bird becomesvery familiar and decides to nest in the little berry patchjust back of the dwelling on a quiet street in our smallertowns; the female indigo is so suspicious that it is not hardto be vexed with her. More than formerly, they are nowseen along the hedges and lanes in the country, sitting ontelephone wires. The cowbird frequently deposits her eggs in the nests ofthis blue 110 LAZLLI BUNTING. (.Passerina amoena). % Life-size. MUM^ORO, CHICAGO FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 353 THE LAZULI BUNTING* In Colorado and Ai-izona the Lazuli Painted Finch, asit is called, is common, while in Cahfornia it is very abun-dant, being, in fact, generally distributed throughout theWest, and along the Pacific Coast it is found as far northas Puget Sound, during the summer. Davie says it replacesthe indigo bunting from the Plains to the Pacific, beingfound in all suitable locahties. The nest is usually builtin a bush or in the lower limbs of trees, a few feet fromthe ground. Fine strips of bark, small twigs, grasses, andhair are used in preparing it for the four tiny, light bluish-green eggs, which readily fade when exposed to light. Theeggs so closely resemble those of the bluebird as not to bedistinguishable with certainty. The nest is an inartistic onefor a bird of gay plumage. From Florence A. Merriams charming
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