356 V. S. NATIONAL MITSEUM BULLETIN 211 



Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (1874) tell the following story: 



Captain McCown states that he observed these Blackbirds building in large 

 communities at Fort Brown, Texas. Upon a tree standing near the centre of the 

 parade-ground at that fort, a pair of the birds had built their nest. Just before 

 the young were able to fly, one of them fell to the ground. A boy about ten years 

 old discovered and seized the bird, which resisted stoutly, and uttered loud cries. 

 These soon brought to its rescue a legion of old birds, which vigorously attacked 

 the boy, till he was glad to drop the bird and take to flight. Captain McCown 

 then went and picked up the } 7 oung bird, when they turned their fury upon him, 

 passing close to his head and uttering their sharp caw. He placed it upon a tree, 

 and there left it, to the evident satisfaction of his assailants. 



Voice. — The vocal performances of the mesquite grackle are 

 similar to those of its eastern relative, equally noisy and equally 

 unattractive. 



Captain McCown (Baird, Brewer, and Ridgeway, 1874) says that 

 "these birds have a peculiar cry, something like tearing the dry husk 

 from an ear of corn. From this the soldiers called them corn-huskers." 

 Friedmann (1925) states that "the notes are very harsh and suggest 

 the sound of the crackling of twigs." 



Pearson (1921) remarks that this grackle "possesses an astonishing 

 repertoire of whistles, calls, and guttural sounds." Charles W. Town- 

 send (1927) was evidently better pleased with the voice of the mesquite 

 grackle, for he says: "I had excellent opportunities to watch this bird 

 and was struck with the great variety of its clear and at times musical 

 notes and songs mixed with others that were not so pleasing, all so 

 different from the songs of the Boat-tailed Grackle. I have recorded 

 them as a clear almost Flicker-like week-it, week-it, and see, see, see; 

 also a clear and pleasing wheel, whit-a, whit-a, whit, followed by 

 whee-ee-ee, the last vibratory and pleasing." 



Field marks. — The large, glossy black males are unmistakable, 

 with their enormous tails which distinguish them from the smaller 

 grackles and other blackbirds. The females are much smaller brown 

 birds, with more normal tails; they are lighter brown than the females 

 of other grackles, and decidedly lighter-colored than the females of the 

 boat-tailed grackle, the sides of the head and neck and the under parts 

 being light brownish olive or buffy olive. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — The mesquite boat-tailed grackle breeds and is mainly 

 resident from southeastern New Mexico (Carlsbad) and western, 

 south-central, and east-central Texas (Toyahvale, Eagle Lake) ; south 

 to southern Coahuila (Las Delicias, Saltillo), Nuevo Le6n (Monterrey, 

 Montemorelos) and southern Tamaulipas (Gomez Farias). 



Casual records. — Casual in winter on Gulf coast of Louisiana 

 (Avery Island). 



