RED-WINGED BLACK-BIRD. 173 



the young are hatched, loud cries of alarm are made by 

 both parties, but more particularly by the restless male, 

 who flies to meet the intruder, and generally brino-s 

 together the whole sympathizing company of his fel- 

 lows, whose nests sometimes are within a few yards of 

 each other. The female cries ^quedli, 'quedk, and at 

 length, when the mischief they dreaded is accomplished, 

 the louder notes give way to others which are more still, 

 slow, and mournful ; one of which resembles fai, far, or 

 tea and t'tshedh. When the young are taken or destroyed, 

 the pair continue restless and dejected for several days, 

 but from the force of their gregarious habit they again 

 commence building, usually soon after, in the same mead- 

 ow or swamp with their neighbours. In the latter part of 

 July and August the young birds, now resembling the fe- 

 male, begin to fly in flocks, and release themselves partly 

 from dependence on their parents, whose cares up to this 

 time are faithful and unremitting ; a few males only 

 seem inclined to stay and direct their motions. 



About the beginning of September, these flocks, by 

 their formidable numbers, do great damage to the unripe 

 corn, which is now a favorite repast, and they are some- 

 times seen whirling and driving over the devoted corn- 

 fields and meadows so as to darken the air with their 

 numbers. The destruction at this time made among them 

 by the gun and the Hawks produces but little effect upon 

 the remainder, who continue fearlessly, and in spite of 

 all opposition, from morning to night, to ravage the corn- 

 fields while any thing almost remains to be eaten. The 

 farms near the sea-coast, or alluvial situations, however, 

 are their favorite haunts; and towards the close of Sep- 

 tember, the corn becoming hard, it is at length rejected 

 for the seeds of the wild rice ( Zizania aquatica)^ and oth- 

 er aquatic plants, which now begin to ripen, and afford 

 15* 



