BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. 



301 



oil a fence sometimes looks at you out of his pale yellow eyes and 

 then bristles up and gives a loud shrill whistle. 



Although quick to appreciate the advantages of civilization, 

 ci/ti nn Chains is by no means exclusively a dooryard bird, nesting 

 principally, indeed, in unsettled districts, in willows in the pine 

 belt of Arizona and in sagebrush around the edges of marshes in 

 the arid Great Basin country. It nests in much smaller colonies 

 than many of the blackbirds, rive to ten pairs being the common 

 number. 



After the breeding season the birds may be seen as high as tim- 

 berliue on 3It. Shasta, solemnly walking over the rocks around snow 

 streams, or as low down as sea-level, at places like Santa Cruz, 

 where they run around on the hard sand beach, feeding and bathing 

 in the shallows tilled with seaweed. 



Their food varies with the season and the locality. On ranches 

 they do a great deal of good by following the plough and destroying 

 grubs, but after the nesting season they gather in large flocks and 

 often do serious harm in the grain fields. 



GENUS QTJISCALUS. 



General Characters. Bill about as long- as head, crow-like, but more 

 tapering- aud acute ; tail graduated and folded laterally ; feet stout ; tar- 

 sus about equal to middle toe and claw. 



KEY TO ADULT MALES. 



1. Body bronzy, size medium . 

 1'. Body greenish, size very large 



. . aeneus, p. 301. 

 macrourus. p. 302. 



Subgenus Quiscalus. 



511b. 



seneus (Ridgw.). BRONZED 



Quiscalus quiscula 

 GRACKLE. 



Adult male. - - Whole head and neck purple, dark peacock blue or 

 green, in sharp contrast to uni- 

 form bronze of body ; wings and 

 tail plum purple, not metallic. 

 Adult female : similar, but smaller 

 and duller. -Young : from plain 

 dark- brown to colors of adults. 

 Male: length (skins) 10.90-12.." <. 

 wing- :>.:JS-i>.03, bill 1.21-1.32. 

 Female : length (skins) ( .i.2">- 

 lO.fiO. wing 4.83-5.18. tail 4.1(5- 

 4.40. bill 1.13-1.23. 



Distribution. From Great 

 Slave Lake south to Louisiana 

 and western Texas, and from 

 the Alleo-banies and southern 



Fig. 367. 



New England west to the Rocky Mountains ; migrating to the southeastern 

 states except the coast districts. Breeds throughout its range, but chiefly 



north of its winter range. 



