[Illustration]
Emberiza cyanea, LINNÆUS; Fringilla cyanea, WILSON; La Veuve
bleue, or le Ministre, BUFFON; Der Indigo Ammer, BECHSTEIN.
The length of this bird is five inches. The beak dark lead-coloured; the
feet brown; the whole plumage is of the most beautiful blue, deeper and
still more brilliant at the top of the head; the great quill-feathers
are brown edged with blue; the tail brown, with a pale tint.
The female very much resembles the linnet in its colour, as the male
does during moulting, for it is only blue when in full feather; but the
male may be distinguished easily at all times by the sides of the wings
being of a lighter grey than in the female.
OBSERVATIONS.--This species is most commonly found in Carolina, but is
not rare about New York, where it arrives the beginning of April. It
frequents the orchards when they are in bloom, and appears to prefer
mountainous parts. Its agreeable song, which very much resembles that
of the linnet, and the beauty of its plumage, render it a favourite
with bird-fanciers. Its food is canary seed, millet, poppy seed, and
bruised hemp seed.