Bronzed Grackle 319 



little is recorded about this. It has been noticed by Aiken in El Paso 

 CO. as early as April 19th, and he has found it breeding in the Fountain 

 Valley below Colorado Springs, and there is no reason why it should not 

 be found in sheltered spots throughout our winter. 



The following are recorded localities : Boulder co. (Henderson), 

 about Denver (Henshaw), Burlington, Pueblo and Fort Lyon (Cooke), 

 El Paso CO. (Aiken), Baca co. (Warren), near Fort Garland (Brunner). 



Habits. — ^The Bronzed Grackle or Western Crow Black- 

 bird is a gregarious bird, migrating in large flocks and 

 often nesting in colonies. It is omnivorous in its diet, 

 and many complaints have been made about it where 

 it is numerous, owing to its partiality for corn, wheat 

 and other grain, as well as for fruit ; but it also destroys 

 large numbers of noxious insects and probably does more 

 good than harm on the whole. 



In the east the Grackle usually chooses a coniferous 

 tree for its nest, but in the west it is said to frequently 

 resort to natural cavities or hollow stumps, or even to 

 make use of the nest- hole of a Flicker ; but I have met 

 with no detailed account of its nesting habits in Colorado. 

 The eggs, usually five in number, are very variable in 

 markings ; the ground-colour is pale, scrolled and blotched 

 with shades of brown, sometimes so profusely as to hide 

 the ground-colour; they measure 1"14 X '82. 



Family FRINGILLID.E. 



Bill very variable in shape, but usually more or less 

 short, stout, and conical ; nostrils always nearer the 

 culmen than the cutting-edge of the bill, and close to the 

 frontal feathers, so that they are sometimes concealed, 

 or partially concealed, either by the frontal feathers or 

 by a specially developed tuft of forwardly growing 

 bristles. Wing with only nine primaries, the tenth 

 (outermost), if present, very small and degenerate, and 

 entirely concealed and often displaced by the growth 



