322 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



The speed of flight has been measured by Rathbun (1934). A flock 

 was paced from a car for one mile and was found to fly at 27, 35, and 

 38 miles per hour. There was no wind. 



In the region of Carmel, Calif., the Brewer's blackbird uses princi- 

 pally two types of growth for roosting, patches of tules in the marsh, 

 where they associate with the redwing, and thick tufts of foliage of 

 the Monterey pine, a situation similar to that which they use for 

 nesting. 



In late summer, fall, and winter I have noted late afternoon flight 

 lines from feeding areas up Carmel Valley toward roosts at the mouth 

 of the Carmel River and in the Carmel business district. The birds 

 frequently gather at a dairy farm 3K miles east of the business-district 

 and river-mouth roosts. From this point, as well as from further up 

 the Valley, a number of flocks of Brewer's and mixed flocks of Brewer's, 

 redwings, and tricolored redwings fly westward down the Valley. 

 The number of Brewer's in either mixed or pure flocks has been found 

 to range from 40 or 50 to 300 birds. The westward flight line has 

 also been noted from a point 2 miles further down the Valley than the 

 dairy farm, and a corresponding eastward movement in the morning 

 has been seen there. 



At both the business-district and river-mouth areas the flocks of 

 Brewer's blackbirds gather on electric wires before roosting time and 

 occasionally fly down to forage. The actual flight to the roosting 

 places in the pines is made individually and at irregular intervals, 

 the birds lighting first on the branch tips then working their way into 

 the thick parts of the foliage. There is often considerable moving 

 about in the foliage and bickering for positions, and considerable 

 utterance of various calls, especially the kit notes. 



On November 17, 1943, a female at the river-mouth colony roosted 

 in a tuft very close to her nest situation of the preceding spring. 

 On October 30, and December 28, 1944, the same female roosted in a 

 similar tuft of the same tree. Her nest of 1944 was also within a few 

 feet of this roost. 



In the morning the birds fly out individually and at irregular 

 intervals from the roosting tufts in rapid, zigzag flight and gather on 

 the wires. Those leaving the tules sometimes fly directly eastward 

 up the valley. Some leave the pines at the river-mouth and fly 

 toward the business district. Morning observations in the business 

 district show large gatherings on the wires, some birds coming from 

 tufts of the street pines, and others, possibly, from the river mouth. 

 After an interval on the wires, a large flock has been seen (December 

 12, 1947) taking flight eastward and passing out of sight. This line 

 of flight would carry them up the Valley along the flight lines men- 



