386 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



expense of about $10 and, at the end of a week, only a couple of 

 dozen birds are to be found where there were thousands." 



Voice. — The unattractive voice of the purple grackle is described 

 in the following notes sent to me by Aretas A. Saunders: "While 

 the sounds produced by grackles are far from musical, nevertheless 

 some of them are largely confined to a definite season, including the 

 period of nesting, and therefore may be considered to be songs. The 

 commonest of these is a grating, metallic sound that might be written 

 kuwaaaa. The main note is pitched about F ' ', and the short note 

 at the beginning is a tone to a tone and a half lower. The matter of 

 pitch, however, is more difficult to determine definitely in sounds 

 that are not of musical quality. This is particularly true in determin- 

 ing the octave. The pitch of this note is near F, but whether F ', F ' ', 

 or F ' ' ' I do not feel entirely sure. This particular sound is to be 

 heard from the first arrival of the birds in March to the end of the 

 breeding season in late June. It is sometimes also heard in late 

 September and October from individuals in the flocks that congregate 

 at that season. 



"In the time of courtship in late April or early May, grackles pro- 

 duce another songlike sound that is accompanied by spreading of 

 wings and tail. This is a series of four or five notes, each higher in 

 pitch than the former one. The lower notes are rather harsh, while 

 the higher ones are squeaky. These sounds are something like 

 JcogubaleeJc or koochokaweekee. The pitch begins on C " or D " and 

 rises to B flat ' ' or C ' ' ' at the end. The common call-note of the 

 grackle is a loud chak, very similar to that of the redwings, but louder 

 and somewhat lower in pitch." 



To the nonmusical ear the squeaky notes of the grackles sound like 

 the creaking of a rusty hinge and are decidedly unpleasant, but when 

 heard in chorus from a migrating flock the effect is rather pleasing. 

 During the courtship display the contortions of body, wings, and tail 

 seem to indicate that the notes are produced with considerable effort. 



Field marks. — The grackles are the largest of our northern black- 

 birds and have the longest tails; these are wedge-shaped and rounded 

 or graduated at the end ; and the male often carries his tail keeled, the 

 middle feathers lower than the others. Grackles differ from redwings 

 in having a straighter, more level, less undulating flight. They can 

 be distinguished from rusty blackbirds by the longer tails. The 

 sharply defined bronze back of the bronzed grackle cannot be dis- 

 tinguished from the more variegated back of the purple grackle, ex- 

 cept at short range and in favorable light. There are, of course, many 

 intermediates to be seen near the borders of the ranges; these are very 

 difficult to identify as to race. 



