CROW BLACKBIRD. 21 
Jury against these “queer politicians,’ who is 
there that could not confess to a thrill of pleasure 
when they appear about the house “ clatt’rin’ in 
tall trees”? 
As Mr. Burroughs has it: “The air is filled 
with cracking, splintering, spurting, semi-musical 
sounds, which are like pepper and salt to the ear.” 
There is a delicious reality to their notes. We 
feel now that spring is not a myth of the poets, 
after all, but that she has sent this black advance 
guard as a promise of wild flowers and May-day. 
Black, did I say? Nothing could be more mis- 
leading. Mr. Ridgway describes the body of the 
purple grackle as “ brassy olive or bronze,” his 
neck as “ steel-blue, violet, purple, or brassy 
ereen,’ and his wings and tail as “ purplish or 
violet-purplish.” He is one of the most brilliant 
of our bird beauties. Watch him as he ambles 
over the branches, and when the sunlight strikes 
him you will wonder who could have been so blind 
as to dub him blackbird. Call him, rather, the 
black opal ! 
He is a bird of many accomplishments. To 
begin with, he does not condescend to hop, like 
ordinary birds, but imitates the crow in his stately 
walk ; then he has a steering apparatus that the 
small boy might well study in coasting time. He 
ean turn his tail into a rudder. Watch him as 
he flies. While he is going straight ahead you 
do not notice anything unusual, but as soon as he 
