BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. 301 



on a fence sometimes looks at you out of his pale yellow eyes and 

 then bristles up and gives a loud shrill whistle. 



xilthough quick to appreciate the advantages of civilization, 

 ri/(( nocephalus is by no means exclusively a dooryard bird, nesting 

 principally, indeed, in unsettled districts, in willows in the pine 

 belt of Arizona and in sagebrush around the edges of marshes in 

 the arid Great Basin country. It nests in much smaller colonies 

 , than many of the blackbirds, live to ten pairs being the common 

 number. 



After the breeding season the birds may be seen as high as tim- 

 berliue on ]\[t. Shasta, solemnly walking over the rocks around snow 

 streams, or as low down as sea-level, at places like Santa Cruz, 

 where they run around on the hard sand beach, feeding and bathing 

 in the shallows filled with seaweed. 



Their food varies with the season and the locality. On ranches 

 they do a great deal of good by following the plough and destroying 

 grubs, but after ihe nesting season they gather in large flocks and 

 often do serious harm in the grain fields. 



GENUS QUISCAIiUS. 



General Characters. — Bill about as long as head, crow-like, but more 

 tapering and acute ; tail graduated and folded laterally ; feet stout ; tar- 

 sus about equal to middle toe and claw. 



KEY TO ADULT MALES. 



1. Body bronzy, size medium aeneus. p. .301. 



1. Body greenish, size very large niacrourus. p. 302. 



Subgenus Quiscalus. 

 511b. Quiscalus quiscula seneus (Bldgw.). Bronzed 



(tK.VCKLK. 



Adult male. — Wliole liead and neck purple, dark peacock blue or 

 green, in sharp contrast to uni- 

 form bronze of bodij ; wings and 

 tail plum purple, not metallii-. 

 Adult ff male: similar. but smaller 

 and duller. Youikj : from plain 

 dark lirown to colors of adults. 

 .l/f/Zf-; length (skins) l().l)()-ll'..".0. 



wing .•)..",s-( ;.():;, i)iii i.i'i-i.;i-_>. 



Female : length (skins) •.».*J.")- 

 1< ).('•(). wing 4.8:5-'). IS. tail 4.1(i- 

 4.4<;. bill l.l:i-1.2:]. 



Diatrihution. — From Gre.it ' - . , — 



Slave Lake south to Louisian.i - ' 



and western Texas. ;ind fnnu 



the Allegli.-inies and soiithein ig. ->.. 



New England west to the Koeky Mountains; migrating to the southeastein 

 states except tin- coast districts. Breeds throughout its range, but chieHy 

 north of its winter range. 



