Blackbird WESTERN BIRDS 



just the kind of vegetation that is suited to its rather 

 peculiar tastes. Preference is given usually to a swamp 

 or slough that is very wet and has more or less open 

 water; never meadows or marshes that are simply damp 

 and subject to drying out. The tule beds of the valleys 

 of the west, the quill-reed brakes of the north, and the 

 flag swamps of the south are alike acceptable. Wher- 

 ever the Yellow-head breeds it congregates in colonies, 

 and these assemblages are often of vast proportions. 



The male is about ten inches long with black plumage 

 save for a large white patch on the wings and the bril- 

 liant yellow head, neck, and breast. A black wedge runs 

 from the bill through the eyes. The bill is shorter and 

 heavier than that of most Blackbirds. 



The female is a soft brown with a yellow line over 

 eye and dull yellow throat and chest; breast mixed with 

 white. In the winter time the yellow head of the male 

 is concealed by brownish tips of feathers. 



"The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs 

 without any assistance from the male. 



"The male assists in the care of the young, but only to 

 a limited extent and chiefly after they leave the nest. 



"The body of the nest is constructed of wet material 

 collected from the water nearby. This is woven about 

 the stems of the reeds, two or three feet above the water, 

 and its drying and contracting fixes the nest securely in 

 position. 



"The lining consists of pieces of broad, dry reed-leaves, 

 the rim of the nest being often finished off with the fine 

 branches of the plume-like fruiting tops of the reeds, 

 forming a sort of canopy over the somewhat constricted 

 entrance. The typical finished nest is a firm, inverted, 

 cone-shaped basket-like affair, suspended among the 

 rigid stems of last year's reeds, only exceptionally among 

 new growth. The height is usually eight to ten inches, 

 rarely only four or as much as twelve inches. 



122 



