Field Notes 107 



A CANNIBAL GEACKLE. 



The morning of May ;!0 in crossing the mall to the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, I noticed what appeared to be a fight between a Purple Graekle 

 and an English sparrow, and stopped to see the outcome. The Graekle 

 held the sparrow by wing or leg under its feet and peeked savagely at 

 the head. The fluttering sparrow escaped two or three times, but was 

 instantly recaptured. Presently the Graekle began swallowing the 

 grewsome contents of its bill obtained from the still fluttering sparrow. 

 I did not wait to see more, but at noon I sought the spot and found 

 a dead female English sparrow with the back of the head laid bare to the 

 skull. So far as I could see it was not injured elsewhere. 



Is the Purple Graekle a bird of prey or was it a fight to the death 

 only, the blackbird swallowing his billsful merely to get rid of them? 

 Was he after a meal or after revenge f As the little corpse was covered 

 with ants when I found it I could not be sure whetlier the Graekle had 

 eaten the brains or wliether the ants had emptied the skull they now filled. 



Dejt. Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Agnes Chase. 



