AVERY BIRD COLLECTION 75 



"April 18th. Visited these nests ; those of the grackles 

 (Q. q. aglaeus) were in willow trees; were bulky and 

 built of coarse grass leaves; they were situated close to 

 the body of the tree, and supported by the limbs or 

 sprouts growing from the axis. 



"My climber on ascending to these nests found an egg 

 in each of them {Q. q. Aglaeus), the other nests were 

 empty. 



"25th. Visited the nests of the grackles found on the 

 14th and 18th. They each contained five eggs. These 

 I collected with the nests and sent to the National Mu- 

 seum. 



Measurements of Nests. 



No. 23. External width, 6 inches; external depth, 4 

 inches; internal width, 4.50 inches; internal depth, 3.50 

 inches. 



"May Sth. Found four nests of grackles in pines near 

 Julia Woodruff's, one at the gate about twenty steps 

 from house. 



"May 18th. Saw grackles carrying crawfish to their 

 young; their nests were a mile from the grounds where 

 they caught the crawfish. 



"June 1st. Found nest of purple grackle in my lot. 



"June 1st, 1890. Saw a purple grackle catch a craw- 

 fish. This he picked out of shallow water as quickly as 

 a flycatcher would capture an insect on the wing. The 

 crawfish was quite large — his captor flew off about 10 

 steps from the branch and lighting with his prey began 

 his matin meal by pecking and tearing the crustacean in- 

 to suitable pieces for swallowing. I approached too near 

 in my eagerness to see the performance, when the grackle 

 flew about a hundred yards, and lighting, continued 

 his eating on the remnant of the crawfish carried with 

 him. I had a good view of Quiscalus with my field glass. 

 A red-wing hopped up within a foot of the spot where 

 the feast was being held, and looked wistfully, but re- 

 spectfully, on till Q. q. aglaeus finished and flew off, when 

 Agelaius phoeniceus began to consume the fragments. 

 As soon as he had done I walked to the spot and found a 



