qUISCALUS. 379 



in winter : Much washed or overlaid by rusty on upper and buffy on lower 

 parts. Young : Similar to winter female, but colors duller and more uni- 

 form, and texture of plumage looser. Length 8.20-9.75, wing 4.25-4.75, tail 

 3.65-4.20. Eggs .99 X -73. Hab. Eastern and northern ISTorih America, west 

 to Bering's Sea and Great Plains ; breeding from northern iTnited States 



northward 509. S. carolinus (Mull.). Rusty Blackbird. 



a^. Bill stout, its depth through base nearly equal to half the lateral length of 

 lower mandible. Adult male in summer : Uniform glossy greenish black, the 

 head and neck glossy violet-black. Adult male in winter: Similar to sum- 

 mer plumage, but head, neck, back, and breast more or less — generally very 

 slightly — obscured by grayish brown tips to feathers. Adult female : Uni- 

 form brownish slate, more brownish anteriorly, posteriorly more slaty, and 

 with a soft, silky gloss. Length 8.75-10.25, wing 4.65-5.25, tail 3.85-4.50. 

 Eggs 1.03 X -74. Hah. Western North America, east to Great Plains (occa- 

 sionally to Illinois, etc.), north to the Saskatchewan, south to table-lands of 

 Mexico 510. S. cyanocephalus (Wagl.). Brewer's Blackbird. 



Genus QUISCALUS Yieillot. (Page 366, pi. CIII., figs. 1, 2.) 



Species. 



Common Characters. — Adult males : Uniform glossy blackish, often with varied 

 metallic hues. Adult females : Decidedly smaller than males, the colors duller 

 (sometimes markedly different). 



a^. Tail not decidedly longer than wing (usually decidedly shorter) ; adult males 

 with varied rich metallic tints (the head and neck rich, silky steel-blue, 

 violet, or brassy green) ; adult females similar, but duller. Nest a coarse and 

 bulky but compact structure composed of coarse dried grasses, built in trees 

 (often in cavities). Eggs 3-6, pale green or greenish blue, pale olive, or dull 

 olive-whitish, coarsely spotted and irregularly lined with brown and black 

 (sometimes dull rusty brown, mai'ked with darker). (Subgenus Quiscalus.) 

 b^. Plumage of body above and below, with mixed metallic tints (usually sev- 

 eral on each feather, especially on back and scapulars), the color of head 

 and neck usually not abruptly defined against the color of the body ; 

 wing-coverts usually with mixed metallic tints ; wings and tail usually 

 bluish violet or bluish. 

 c^. Larger, with smaller bill ; length about 11.00-13.50, wing (male) 5.45- 

 6.05 (5.71), tail 5.05-5.70 (5.46), graduation of tail 1.00-1.60 (1.26), 

 exposed culmen 1.13-1.23 (1.17), tarsus 1.35-1.45(1.40). Female: 

 Length about 11.00-11.50, wing about 5.00, tail about 4.80. Eggs 

 1.18 X -84. Jlab. Atlantic coast of United States (except southern 

 Florida), north to Massachusetts, west to eastern Tennessee. 



511. Q, quiscula (Linn.). Purple Grackle. 

 c^. Smaller, with larger bill ; length about 10.40-12.00, wing (male) 5.20- 



