24 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



" Thedr food is largely derived from the sea, and con- 

 sist-s mainly of smaii molluscs and crustaceans (»f dif- 

 ferent kinds picked up in the salt marshes and mud 

 Hats during Ion- tide, and of dead fish, insecte, eitc., 

 carried in by the tides. They also feed, though to a 

 eniaU extent only, on regetable matter, such as rice 

 and other grains, and occasionally on fruit. 



" In the more northern portions of their range these 

 Ijirds usually arrive abuut the beginning of ilarch, and 

 are at first vei-y resUess, roving about from plac'e to 

 place until the nesting eeasou commences. They are 

 unusually noisy during this time, and their pecuJiax 

 grating notes can be constantly heard ; some of these 

 are very shrill and unpleasant to the ear, but frequently 

 during the mating season a rather indifferent attempt at 

 singing ie made. Tliis is somewhat less disagreeable, 

 but. iiiipo.=sible to describe on paper. 



" Mr. Frank JM. Chapman descril>es a singular note 

 of theirs as resembling the flapping of wings, as of a 

 Coot tripping over the water. He siiys : ' This sound 

 was very familiar to me, and so excelleait is the imita- 

 tion that for a long time I attributed it to one of the 

 numerous Coots which abound in most plates favoured 

 by Quiscalus major.' 



" ilr. W. E. Grover, of Galveston, Te.\as, writes : 

 ' One of their common call notes, when sitting at ease 

 in a tree, is a noisy, clucking " clac-clac-clac," fre- 

 quently followed by a long-drawn whistle like "who-it, 

 who-it." In this vicinity they nest principally in tule 

 reeds growing in fresh-water "ponds, and in the thick, 

 matted grass on the edges of salt hayous, Kome nestf. 

 being partly in the water at. high tide. Some also nest 

 in Cheixikee rose-bushes, and occasionally a pair will 

 build in a tree as much as ^Oft. from the ground. The 

 ne.sts of birds built in trees are not .so deep nor so well 

 made as tho.«e in the canes.' 



" Nidificatdon appears to be somewhat irregular with 

 thi.s species. In southern Florida some of these birds 

 begin laying during the first week in March, when quite 

 a number have not even begun nest building. The nest- 

 ing season lasts until Jime here, and prcbablj" two 

 broods are raised regularly. In the northern portions 

 of their range it begins in "the latter part of April, and 

 is sometimes protracted until May. The nests are 

 usually strong, bulky stnutm-es, measuring on an aver- 

 age about 7in. in height by Sin. in width. The 

 inner cup is about Sin. deep by 4iin. in diameter. 

 They are constructed mainly of "coarse grass, sedges, 

 weed .stalks, and fibrous roots, cemented and more or less 

 mixed with mud. In some nests no mud is used, and 

 these are cnnsequtntly not so solid. Some are built 

 principally of Spanish moss, others of eel-grasps, the 

 materials used varying in different localities. Cotton, 

 rags, feathers, and seaweeds are also sometimes incor- 

 porated into the walls. They are placed on various 

 kinds of trees and bushes, such as oaks, pines, and 

 willows, and at various heights from the ground, 

 ranging from 3ft. to 40ft. np, and again in water-myrtle 

 bushes, cane-brakes, and reeds in swamps, not over 

 18in. above the water level. 



" The number of eggs laid to a set varies from two to 

 five. Sets of tliree are most common, but in certain 

 localities sets of four are equally so. while those of 

 five are somewhat rare. 



" Incubation la,sts about fifteen days, and this dutv 

 seems to be mostly performed by the female. The male, 

 however, assist.s in feeding the young, and after they 

 are able to care^ for themselves the sexes separate in 

 flocks and remain apart until the mating season ap- 

 proaches again. 



'• The eggs of the Boat-tailed Crackle closely resemble 

 those of the preceding species (the following "one here— 



Q. ■Inacrurus), both in shape and coloration, excepting 

 tJiat the cloudy purple vinaceous and pale umber tints 

 are generally more evenly distributed over the entire 

 shell, when present, and are not so noticeable at the 

 small end of the egg. In some instances the lines an.d 

 tracings with which they are marked are also perceptibly 

 finer as well as more profuse, being more like the mark- 

 ings found in the eggs of the Baltimore and BuUock's. 

 llriole. They als.> average somewliat less in size." 



Russ obser\-es : " With us this species only comes into 

 tlie market extremely rarely." 



Long-tailed Tkoupial {Quiscalus jiiacruriis). 



Glossy purplish black, becoming greenish on lower 

 back and anal tuft ; wings and tail wdthout gloss ; bill 

 and feet black. Females much smaller, above blackish 

 brown, with metallic gloss ; below paler excepting on- 

 anal tuft. Hab., Mexico and Guatemala. 



Boucard (" Proceedings of the Zoological Society " 

 1885, p. 446) says: "Native name ' Sacoa.' This 

 bird is most conmron here from January to May. 

 I did not see one in July and August, nor in 

 September, and up to the present time, Oct. 15, 

 the bird has not made its appearance. It does 

 not go in flocks ; rarely more than five or six are seen 

 at a time : it apparently sings with very great effort. 

 The female is considered hy the natives another species, 

 and is called ' Socao,' instead of 'Sacoa.'" 



George B. Sennett says (" Notes on the Ornithology of 

 the Lower Rio Grande in Texas. U.S. Geological and 

 Geographical Survey," Vol. IV., 1878, pp. 27, 28): 

 " When I think of tliis bird it is always with a smile. 

 It is everywhere as abundant on the Rio Grande as is 

 Passer domcsticus. the English Sparrow, in our northern 

 cities, and equally tame when abuut habitatiQns. This 

 bird is as much a part of the life of Brownville as the 

 harrelcro rolling along his cask of water or the mounted 

 beggar going his daily rounds. In the towns and about 

 the ranches he knows no fear ; is always noisy, never at 

 rest, and in all places and positions, now- making friends 

 »-ith the horses in the barns, or the cattle in tlie fields, 

 then in some tree pouring forth his notes, which I can 

 liken only to the scrapings of a cornstalk fiddle; now 

 stealing from porch or open w-indow snme ribbon for 

 his nest, then following close behind the planter, quick 

 to see the dropping corn. With all his boldness and 

 curiosity the boys of the streets say they cannot trap 

 or catch him in a snare. He will take every bait or 

 grain but the right one : he will put his feet among all 

 sorts of rags but the right ones, and the boys are com- 

 pletelv outwitted by a bird. He performs all sorts of 

 antics : the most curious and laughable performance is 

 a common one with him. Two males will take position 

 facing each other on the ground or upon some shed, 

 then together they begin slowly raising their heads an 1 

 twisting them most comicallv from side to side, all the 

 time eyeing each other, until their bills not only stand 

 perpendicular to their bodies, but sometimes are thrown 

 over nearly to their backs. L\ft6r maintaining this 

 .awkward position for a time thev will gradually bring 

 back their bills to their natural position, and the per- 

 formance ends. It is a most amusing tiling to witness, 

 and seems to be mere fun for the birds, for nothing 

 serious grows out of it." 



" When breeding in swamps their nests are frequently 

 placed within 2 feet of the water, and from 4 feet to 

 30 feet from the groimd when in trees." Their nests, 

 according to Captain Bendire (" Life Histories." 

 Vol. II., p. 505), "resemble those of the rest 

 of our eastern Grackles in size, construction, and 

 materials. Some of them are almost entirely composed 



