Nests in Holes in Trees, Stumps, or Logs 
Nest in a hollow in a tree; it is rather bulky, composed 
of grasses, weeds, feathers, and frequently cast-off snake skins. 
The eggs, 3 to 6 in number, are buff-colored, with numerous 
light and rather dark wine-colored or purplish longitudinal 
streaks and scratches. Size—.82 x .62. See Fig. 2, Plate C. 
This noisy flycatcher is in some places a very common bird. 
He chooses almost any sort of hole for his nest, the size making 
but little difference to him ; neither does he seem very particular 
as to the kind of tree, though most of the nests I have found were 
in dead or partly dead apple trees. Once | knew of a bluebird’s 
nest containing young about four days old ; near this nest a pair 
of Crested Flycatchers were constantly to be seen. Day after day 
I visited the place in order to watch and photograph the young 
bluebirds, and my friends the flycatchers were invariably either 
on some part of the tree or very near to it. This was during the 
third week in May, and therefore rather early for them to be 
nesting. A week after the bluebirds had flown, the flycatchers 
commenced building, placing their collection of material on the 
top of the bluebird’s abandoned nest. Usually the hole chosen 
is not more than twenty feet from the ground, and often not 
more than six feet. 
The nesting season commences about the last week in May. 
511. Purple Grackle; Crow Blackbird : Quiscalus 
quiscula (Linn.) 
Eggs greenish, dashed and streaked with reddish brown or 
black ; very variable. 
See Page 140, Chapter VIII. 
511a. Florida Grackle: Q. q. agleeus (Baird.) 
Eggs similar to the preceding. 
See Page 140, Chapter VIII. 
511b. Bronzed Grackle: Q. q. zneus (Ridgw.) 
Eggs greenish or dull bluish, scrawled, blotched, and spotted 
with browns ; very variable. 
See Page 141, Chapter VIII. 
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