BIEDS OF KAJVSAS. 411 



B. — . R. 27S6. C. 337. G. 140, 200. U. 5116. 



Habitat. Eastern North America; north from the gulf coast 



of Texas, Louisiana and northern Virginia to J^ova Scotia, 



Hudson's Bay and the Saskatchawan region; west to the Kockj 



mountains; occasionally east of the Alleghanies. 



Sp. Char. "Third and fourth quills longest and equal; first shorter than 

 fifth; projections of primaries beyond secondaries, 1.28; graduation of tail, 1.48. 

 Metallic tints rich, deep and uniform. Head and neck all round rich, silky steel 

 blue; this strictly confined to these portions, and abruptly defined behind, vary- 

 ing in shade from an intense Prussian blue to brassy greenish, the latter tint 

 always, when present, most apparent on the neck, the head always more viola- 

 ceous; lores velvety black. Entire body, above and below, uniform continuous 

 metallic brassy olive, varying to burnished golden olivaceous bronze, becoming 

 gradually uniform metallic purplish or reddish violet on wings and tail, the last 

 more purplish; primaries violet black. The female is smaller and duller in 

 color than the male." 



Iris yellow; bill, legs, feet and claws black. 



This abundant species (generally known as the "Crow Black- 

 bird") breeds throughout its range, but chiefly north of their 

 southern winter quarters, arriving at their summer homes early 

 in the spring. They are very social and strictly gregarious, pre- 

 ferring, even while mated, to live in communities. In their food 

 habits omnivorous, but during the breeding season very benefi- 

 cial in the destruction of caterpillars, moths, beetles, grasshop- 

 pers, insect life unearthed by the plow, etc., but for this service 

 they claim too large a share at the harvest, especially of the 

 corn, to be looked upon by the farmers as friends, I am, how- 

 ever, led to believe that in this respect they are far more benefi- 

 cial than injurious, and were it not for their nest robbing habits, 

 destroying in this way so many of our little friends, I should 

 plead earnestly for their protection. 



Their nests are saddled onto horizontal limbs, or in forks and 

 in excavations in trees, along the streams and in the orchards 

 and shade trees about our dwellings; a large and rather com- 

 pact structure, composed of coarse grasses, weeds, blades of 

 corn, or most any handy material, plastered together with mud 



