ICTERID^ 



271 



incubation has begun. From that time the males 

 remain in flocks by themselves. Upon the 

 females, therefore, devolves all of the feeding 

 and protecting of the young until they are able, 

 with their mothers, to join the fathers who had 

 deserted them. 



In its insect food the Boat-tailed GracUle has 

 no very pronounced tastes, and while it does not 

 cause any great havoc among useful insects, it 

 does not Jjrey extensively ujjon harmful ones. 

 In common with most other land birds, it eats 

 grasshoppers freely in July and August, and it 

 probably would eat caterpillars if it found them 

 more plentiful than other foods. The animal 

 food it decidedly prefers is small crustaceans • — 

 especially the small crabs called " fiddlers " — 

 and these, so far as the interests of agriculture 

 are concerned, are entirely neutral. 



In its vegetable diet, the bird certainly does 

 not commend itself to the agriculturist. Its 

 preference for corn is very marked and shows 

 no variance with the change of season. Investi- 

 gations by the Biological Survey show that in 

 any locality where this Crackle is very abundant 

 it is harmful to the corn croj) without rendering 

 anv well-defined service in return. 



Photo by T. H. Jricksun C.jurtLSy of Xat. .Vsso. .\ud. S' 



NEST AND EGGS OF BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE 

 Orange Lake, Florida 



