THE BRONZED CRACKLE 



{Quiscalus quiscula ceneus) 



THE bronzed grackles are, on close 

 acquaintance, more interesting birds 

 than their dull plumage and unmusi- 

 cal calls might, perhaps, at first incline the 

 casual observer to expect. These birds and 

 their eastern cousins, the purple grackles, 

 arrive north in large flocks early in spring, but 

 they generally spend several weeks enjoying 

 themselves in idleness before settling down to 

 the serious task of raising a family. They nest 

 in small colonies, frequently near water, usual- 

 ly placing their nests high in trees; but the 

 writer has also found them in bushes, as well 

 as slung like the red-wings' nests, a foot or 

 two above water. 



The accompanying photographs were taken 





17 



