MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



295 



Measurements of Florida Specimens of Quiscalus purpureus. 



The specimens from Cape Florida are considerably smaller than those 

 from the St. John's River ; but the same difference occurs in other species 

 between specimens from these two localities. The Cape Florida specimens 

 of Quiscalus purpureus differ from others from North Florida also in having 

 a relatively longer, slenderer, and more decurved bill, but not appreci- 

 ably in color. 



60.* Quiscalus major Vieillot. Boat-tailed Grackle. 

 Abundant. Particularly numerous along the St. John's River. 

 According to Dr. Bryant they breed about the first of April. He says 

 that about Lake Monroe some of the birds, as late as the 6th of April, 

 had not commenced laying, " though the majority had hatched, and the 

 young of others were almost fledged." f He notes also their sandpiper- 

 like habit of running along the fedge of the water. At Lake Dexter I 

 observed great numbers of them walking on the floating aquatic plants. 



The females of this species present very singular variations in color. 

 Of four specimens collected at Lake Dexter, in March, one is pale ashy- 



* Smith. Inst. No. Copied from Baird's Birds of North America, p. 557. 

 t Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. VII, p. 9, January, 1859. 



