358 Proceedings of Indiana Academy of Science. 



Carroll County: March 17. 1879, .seen; June 17. 1882, one fresh egg; May 

 24, 1883, three eggs in nest of brown thrasher with four of the latter ; in- 

 cubation begun. March 31. 1884, first noted ; April 5, 1885, both males and 

 females, first of season, noted near railroad bridge on Deer Creek, east of 

 Camden ; June 20. 1905, four seen in barnyard on old homestead near Bur- 

 lington. 



121. Agklaii's pu(j:nicei's pucknickus (Linnseus). 



RED-WIXGED BLACKBIRD. (498) 



Summer resident, abundant in all suitable situations. About the marshy 

 places along the rivers, at woodland ponds and in marshy meadows, will 

 usually be found from a few pairs to a hundred or more of these beautiful 

 birds. They are among the first to arrive in the spring, often coming as 

 early as the first of February, and their cheery call is one of the most 

 delightful and musical sounds of early spring. 



They begin nesting by the last of April, full sets of eggs often being 

 completed by the first of May. The nests are placed near the ground among, 

 and fastened to. the cattails and grasses about the swamps. 



Monroe Count}/: Not very common in this county, doubtless because of 

 the absence of swamp land and other suitable environment. 



Vif/o County: Abundant summer resident, breeding in all suitable places, 

 such as Greenfield Bayou, the Goose Pond, Five-mile Pond, and along the 

 river wherever there are cattails and tules. On May 3. 1890. at the Goose 

 Pond south of Terre Haute, several nests were found, one with four fresh 

 eggs, one with two, and another with only one. Two weeks later this 

 pond was again visited. The nesting season was at its height as attested 

 by many nests seen. Of seven nests examined four contained four eggs 

 each, two had three eggs each, and one had only one egg. all fresh. 



Carroll Comity: February 23. 1878, noted; March 5, 1879, four or five 

 seen ; Gth. many soon flying north. May 21, 1883, common nesting at the 

 Maple Swamp ; May 2(1. nest with eggs found near Burlington by Edwin C. 

 Evermann; May 28. nest with four eggs found on my father's farm. Feb- 

 ruary 12. 1884, saw a flock of 30 or more south of Delphi; February 19. 

 Professor John W. Hamilton and I saw a hundred or more on the Ayres 

 farm between Bringhurst and Cutler. They were feeding on the ground in a 

 hog corral. The morning was very cold. The day before had been pleasant 

 but in the evening grew very stormy and cold. May 5. found many nests in 

 the Armstrong pond at Camden, in all stages from nests not yet com- 

 pleted to young birds a day or two old. March 5. 1885, saw first flock of 

 10 south of Camden. By the 12th they had become abundant. June 25 to 

 July 1, 1905, only one pair seen on the old homestead near Burlington where 

 they formerly were ^ery abundant. 



Other favorite lireeding grounds in Carroll Count.v were the tule patches 

 along the old canal, in the Harness swamp south of Burlington, in the 

 Leonard Smith swamp and the Maple swamp, west of Burlington, in the 

 feather-bed prairie south of LogansiX)rt. the Kunyan marsh east of Bur- 

 lington, and in and al)out all the small inland ponds. 



