North American Birds Eggs. 



243 



508. Bullock Oriole. Icterus bullocki. 



Range. — North America, west of the Plains and from British 

 ward, wintering in Mexico. 



This'handsome species is as abundant in the west as the 

 Baltimore Oriole is in the east, and breeds throughout its 

 United States range. Their nests are similarly made and 

 in similar locations, and the eggs are hardly distinguish- 

 able from those of the preceding, but the ground color is 

 generally of a pale bluish white tint and the markings are 

 usually finer, the lines running around the eggs and often 

 making a very handsome wreath al)OUt the large end. Size 

 of-eggs, .1)4 X 6'2. 



Columbia south- 



r -^-> 



[151uish wliite.] 



[Bluish green. J 



509. Rusty Blackbird. Scolccoplutgioi raroUnus. 



Range. — North America east of the Plains, breeding from northern New Eng- 

 land and the Adirondacks northward; winters in southern United States. 



But few of these birds breed within our borders, the ma- 

 jority of them passing on to the interior of Canada. They 

 generally nest in pairs, or at the most three or four pairs in 

 a locality, building their large substantial nests of moss, 

 twigs and grass, lined with tine green grass; this structure 

 is situated in bushes or low trees in swampy places and at 

 from 3 to 20 feet from the ground. The eggs are laid in 

 May or June; they vary from three to five in number, of a 

 pale bluish green color, spotted, blotched and clouded with 

 shades of brown and gray. Size .9(3 x .71. 



5 10. Brewer Blackbird. Scolecophagus cyanocephalu^. 



Range.— North America west of the Plains, and from British Columbia and 

 Saskatchewan southward. 



This western representative of the preceding is of about 

 the same size (10 inches long), but differs in having a 

 purplish head and greenish black body. They nest abund- 

 antly throughout their range either in bushes or trees at 

 low elevations or upon the ground; the nests are made of 

 sticks, rootlets and grasses, lined with finer grass and moss, 

 and the eggs, which are very variable, are dull whitish, 

 clouded and blotched with brownish and streaked with [Dun wtiite.J 



blackish. Size 1.00 x .75. 



511. Purple Crackle. Quiscalus quiscula. 



Range.— Eastern United States from the Gulf to Massachusetts; winters along 

 the Gulf. 



This species, which is commonly known as Crow Black- 

 bird, nests in trees or bushes anywhere in its range, and on 

 /^ V the coast frequently constructs its nests among the large 



^V ' -•^ -^ ^ sticks of Osprey nests. Large pines appear to be favorite 



' - '■" sites for them to locate their large nests of twigs, weeds, 



grass and trash. They are placed at any elevation from 

 nearly on the ground to 50 feet above it. The eggs range 

 from three to five and are greenish white, splashed, spotted 

 and scrawled with various shades of brown and gray, and 

 [DulU'reenish white.] with streaks of black. Size 1.10 x .80. The nesting habits 

 and eggs of the subspecies of this Grackle do not differ in any particular. Like 

 those of this variety the eggs show an endless number of patterns of markings. 



