Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/180

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144
BLUE GROSBEAK.


moderate length, third and fourth primaries longest. Tail rather long, emarginate.

Bill pale greyish-blue beneath and on the edges of the upper mandi- ble, the rest of which is dusky. Iris brown. Feet dusky. The general colour of the plumage is deep purplish-blue. Lore, chin, and a line round the base of the mandibles, black. Quills and larger coverts brownish- black, the primaries edged with blue, the secondary quills, secondary co- verts and first row of smaller coverts light reddish-brown. Tail feathers brownish-black, edged with blue, as are the under tail coverts.

Length 7^ inches, extent of wings 11 ; bill along the ridge /j, along the edge ^; tarsus 1.

Adult Female. Plate CXXII. Fig. 2.

Bill as in the male, but paler. Feet brown. Head and hind part of the back, as in the male ; the back, sides of the neck, and forepart of the breast greyish-brown, tinged with dull blue. The rest of the under parts yellowish-grey. The wings are nearly as in the male, but hghter, and the black at the base of the bill is wanting. The dimensions are somewhat less than those of the male.

Young Bird fully fledged. Plate CXXII. Fig. 3.

Bill yellowish-grey, dusky above. Feet brown. The general colour is light greenish-brown, the upper part of the head, the back, smaller wing coverts and upper tail coverts tinged with dusky. The wings and tail are as in the female.

The Dog Wood.

CoRVUs FLORIDA, TVUld. Sp. PI. vol. i. p. 661. Pursh, Flor. Amer. voL i. p. 108. Tetrandria Monogynia, Lin?*. Capbifolia, Ju^s.

See vol. i. pages 45. and 376.