290 NOTES ON THE 



his hand, germinating corn with its little green flag to locate it 

 with certainty, and new corn "in the milk" in the delicious 

 covert of broad leaves and silken tassels must be more to these 

 uncircumcized aboriginees, who held the soil before they ever 

 dreamed of waving corn fields or quarter sections. Besides, a 

 grub is found at the root of every fifth hill of what is to be 

 corn at all. And he has earned extenuation for breaking the 

 sixth commandent by the destruction of hosts of the grubs 

 just over in the pasture and meadow before the corn was 

 planted. 



They lay four to five eggs, varying in color from light blue 

 to light brown, which are marked with obscure spots of light 

 brown over which are laid blotches and lines of black and 

 umber-brown. They vary in size from 1.30 by .88 to 1.18 by 

 .88 of an inch. They usually bring out two broods, unless 

 greatly disturbed. The larger portion return southward about 

 the first of November, but as already intimated, occasional 

 parties remain much later, and in a few localities, all winter. 



Mr. Edward Everett, of Waseca, writes me: — "One or two 

 small flocks remain here during the winter in the groves, feed- 

 ing on the seeds and grains from the barn yards." Mr. Wash- 

 burn found them still represented as far north as Otter Tail 

 county on the 25th of October, and Mr. Lewis reports them as 

 not gone in many localities further south at a considerably 

 later date. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Bill above, about as long as the head, more than twice as 

 long as high; the commissure moderately sinuated and consid- 

 erably decurved at the tip; tail a little shorter than the wing, 

 much graduated, the lateral feathers one and ten one-hun- 

 dredth inches shorter; third quill longest, first between fourth 

 and fifth; head and neck all well defined steel-blue; the rest of 

 the body with varied reflections of bronze, golden, green, cop- 

 per, and purple, the latter most conspicuous on the tail, tail- 

 coverts and wings; the edges of the primaries and of the tail 

 greenish. Female similar, but smaller and duller, with per- 

 haps more green on the head. Iris yellow. 



Length, 13; wing, 5.50 to 6; tail, 5.80; bill, 1.25. 



Habitat, New England and Alleghanies north and west to 

 Hudson's Bay and the Rocky mountains. 



