76 Sketches of Some Common Birds. 



Tho grackle possesses a fine form, sliowy plumage, and 

 is a splendid bird in appearance, though the colors of the 

 female are less metallic and more modest than the 

 brilliantly bronzed male in the vernal season. Walking 

 on the ground, he is staid and dignified, and seldom loses 

 his gravity of manner or presence of mind. He is never 

 hurried in his movements, and will even take his time 

 about stepping out of the way when he is foraging ahead 

 of the approaching horses of the plowboy. Were it not 

 for the general prejudice against the grackle, he would be 

 found to discover many traits which we prize in other 

 species, for he is an ornament to the garden and orchard 

 and the shade trees of the street and lawn. His metallic 

 luster shows in vivid contrast to the foliage green, and in 

 the apple-tree, laden with fragrant blossoms, is as cheering 

 and jDleasing as the yellow of the warbler, or the rich 

 colors of other species we greet with unrestrained praise. 



The food habits of the grackle have done so much to 

 bring the species into bad repute that I take the liberty 

 of quoting from the Report on the "Crow Blackbirds and 

 their Food," published in the Year Book of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture for 1894. The author, 

 F. E. L. Beal, says: "In the selection of food, the crow 

 blackbird is almost omnivorous. Its partiality for corn, 

 wheat, rice, oats, and other grain is well known, and is 

 the cause of nearly all the complaints about its depreda- 

 tions. This diet is supplemented by various fruits, 

 berries, nuts, seeds, and insects — the latter in large pro- 

 portions. But the character of the food varies materially 

 with the season. During the fall and winter, blackbirds 

 subsist largely on seeds and grain; as spring approaches 

 they become more insectivorous; in summer they take 

 small fruits; and in September they attack the ripening 

 corn; but all seasons they undoubtedly select the food 

 that is most easily obtained. 



"To this varied diet are due the conflicting statements 

 respecting the useful or noxious habits of the species. 

 When feeding on grain, the birds are usually in large 

 flocks, their depredations are plainly visible, and they are 

 almost universally condemned. When breeding, they are 

 less gregarious, and the good work they do in the fields is 



