THE YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. . 59 



No. 21. 



YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. 



A. O. LT. No. 497. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonap.j. 



Description. — Adult male: Head, neck all around, and breast orange yel- 

 low ; lores and feathers skirting ej-es and bill, black ; a double white patch on 

 folded wing formed by greater and lesser coverts, but interrupted by black of 

 bastard wing; usally a little yellow about vent and on tibias; the remaining 

 plumage black, dull or subdued, and turning brown on wing-tips and tail. Female: 

 Dark brown;" line over eye, throat, and upper breast dull yellow. Length 10.00- 

 11.00 (254-279.4); wing 5.30-5.60 (134.6-142.2) ; tail 4.00-4.50 ( 101.6-114.3) ; 

 bill .90 (22) ; tarsus 1.25 (31.8). Female smaller. length 8.00-9.50 (203.2-241.3). 



Recognition Marks. — Robin size; yellow head and breast; white wing- 

 patches. 



Nesting. — Nest: a bulky but usually neat fabric of dried grasses, reeds or 

 cat-tails lashed to growing ones ; 5-7 inches in diameter outside by 5-8 deep ; inside 

 deeply cupped. Eggs: 3-6, grayish green spotted or clouded with reddish brown, 

 rarely scrawled as in Agelams: elongate ovate in shape. Av. size, i.iox.75 

 (27.9 X 19). Season: May or June; one brood. 



General Range. — Western North America from Wisconsin, Illinois and 

 Te.xas to the Pacific Coast, and from British Columbia and the Saskatchewan 

 River southward to the Valley of Mexico. Accidental in Middle and Atlantic 

 States. 



Range in Washington. — Of local distribution in eastern Washington chiefly 

 east of the Columbia River. Rare or casual west of the Cascades. Summer 

 resident. 



Authorities.— ["Yellow-headed Blackbird," Johnson, Rep. Gov. W. T. 1884 

 (1885). 22.\ Bendire, Life Hist. N. A. Birds, Vol. II. 1895, p. 447. Ss'. J. 



Specimens. — Prov. C. P. 



OH, well for the untried nerves that the Yellow-headed Blackbird sings 

 by day, when the sun is shining brightlv, and there are no supporting 

 signs of a cijux-ulsion of Nature! Verily, if love affected us all in similar 

 fasliion, the world would be a merry mad-house. The Yellow-head is an 

 extraordinary person — you are prepared for that once you catch sight of his 

 resplendent gold-upon-l)lack livery — but his avowal of the tender passion 

 is a revelation of incongruity. Grasping a reed firmly in both fists, he leans 

 forward, and, after premonitory gulps and gasps, succeeds in pressing out a 

 wail of despairing agony which would do credit to a dying catamovmt. When 

 you have recovered from the first shock, you strain the eyes in astonishment 

 that a mere bird, and a bird in love at that, should give rise to such a cata- 

 clysmic sound. But he can do it again, and his neighbor across the wav can 

 do as well — or worse. When vour nerves have somewhat recovered, modesty 



