. Gray Lady and the birds; stories of the bird year for home and school . ting awhile, forthe night before had been stormy, dropped to the closelycut turf to feed upon the crumbs left where the houndshad been munching their biscuits. I have never seen amore beautiful specimen, and the contrast with the vividgrass seemed to develop the colour of malachite that ranalong one edge of the feathers, shifting as the bird movedlike the sheen of changeable silk. The nest, in no wise typical, is a loose and rather care-less structure of grass, twigs, horsehairs, roots, or bitsof bark placed in a low, sc
. Gray Lady and the birds; stories of the bird year for home and school . ting awhile, forthe night before had been stormy, dropped to the closelycut turf to feed upon the crumbs left where the houndshad been munching their biscuits. I have never seen amore beautiful specimen, and the contrast with the vividgrass seemed to develop the colour of malachite that ranalong one edge of the feathers, shifting as the bird movedlike the sheen of changeable silk. The nest, in no wise typical, is a loose and rather care-less structure of grass, twigs, horsehairs, roots, or bitsof bark placed in a low, scrubby tree or bush at no greatdistance from the ground, and the eggs are a very paleblue or bluish white, and only three or four in number. Being a seed-eater, it is undoubtedly this Buntingslove of warmth that gives him so short a season with us:for he does not come to the New England states until thefirst week in May, and, after the August moult, when hedons the sober clothing of his mate, he begins to worksouthward by the middle of September, — those from the if 5. INDIGO BUNTING (Upper figure, Male; Lower figure, Female)Order—Passeres Family —Fringillid,^ Genus—Passerina Species—Cyan ea BEBINV THE BARS 281 most northerly portions of the breeding range, whichextends northward to Minnesota and Nova Scotia, havingpassed by the tenth of October. He winters in CentralAmerica and southward. Although of the insect-eating fraternity of the conicalbeak, the Indigo Bunting consumes many noxious insectsin the nesting season, when the rapid growth of theyoung demands animal food, no matter to what racethey belong. Being an inhabitant of the overgrownedges of old pastures, or the brushy fences of clearingsand pent roads, he is in a position where he can do agreat deal of good. Mr. Forbush, in his valuable book onUseful Birds and Their Protection, credits the IndigoBunting with being a consumer of the larvae of the mis-chievous brown-tail moth; but whatever service it may doas
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidcu319240, booksubjectbirds
