THE CROW BLACKBIRD OR PURPLE CRACKLE 



south of the Delaware Valley. The Bronzed and 

 Florida grackles extend the range over the whole of 

 eastern North America, to Great Slave Lake, New- 

 foundland, Colorado, and Florida. 



IT seems irrcredible that blackbirds should belong to 

 the same family as sweet-voiced meadowlarks, gay 

 bobolinks, and musical orioles. They are literally the 

 "black sheep" of the family, with a plumage in keeping 

 with their dark deeds, and a sinister expression that 

 arouse's suspicion and wins them few friends. Their 

 habit of destroying birds' eggs and young birds makes 

 them a terror to their neighbors. Dr. Frank Chapman 

 humorously says that he "can imagine bird-mothers fright- 

 ening their young into obedience by threatened visits from 

 that ogre, the Crackle." ^ I saw a flock of them invading 

 the seclusion of Wade Park, Cleveland, one spring morn- 

 ing. Two irate robins drove three bandit blackbirds away 

 from their nest with loud cries and swift pursuit. A few 

 minutes later, I saw a wood thrush attack a grackle. She 

 administered a severe blow upon his shoulder, which dis- 

 arranged his feathers and left him in such evident pain 

 as to be quite oblivious of my proximity. This habit of 

 devastating nests is not, however, so general as has been 

 supposed, for Professor Real reports that "remains of 

 birds and birds' eggs amount to less than half of one per 

 cent, of his diet." ^ 



During the breeding season, grackles do much good 

 by their destruction of insects upon which their young 

 are almost wholly fed. They devour beetles, the cater- 



1 From "Birds of Eastern North America," by Frank M. Chapman. 



2 Farmers' Bulletin 630, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Biological 

 Survey. 



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