112 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



naia sicainsonii) being generally the victim. It also eats the eggs 

 of the freshwater terrapin. 



The birds breed in large colonies in swamps or in bushes over 

 water, and not infrequently the nest is built in bunches of Spanish 

 moss. It is composed of coarse grass and pieces of flag, and is 

 lined with fine grass. The eggs, which vary in number from three 

 to five, are bluish white or greenish white, spotted, blotched, 

 and scrawled with dark brown and grayish. The breeding season 

 is usualh-^ in May and but one brood is raised as far as my experience 

 goes. My earliest breeding record is April 25, 1908, when I took 

 four eggs. I have seen the old birds carrying food to their young 

 more than a mile from where the food was obtained. 



On the Atlantic coast this form breeds from Florida to South 

 Carolina, and westward along the Gulf coast to Louisiana. 



194. Megaquiscalus major (Vieill.). Boat-tailed Crackle. 



This fine species is locally known along the entire coast as the 

 "Jackdaw." It is a permanent resident and breeds abundantly 

 on the coast islands as well as on the mainland, but always near 

 salt water. Twenty- five years ago this bird used to breed reg- 

 ularly every year in a large water oak in the beautiful grounds of 

 Mr. D. C. Ebaugh, in the city of Charleston, and, in company 

 with my friend Mr. B. F. Evans, I used to make observations 

 on its breeding habits. This tree sometimes contained as many 

 as thirt}^ nests, the majority being fully eighty feet from the 

 ground. 



The Boat-tailed Grackle is at all times gregarious, but the sexes 

 do not mingle until late in February or the beginning of March; 

 in fact, the females are seldom seen in winter. The breeding 

 season is in April, May, and June, and but one brood is raised. 

 The nest is composed of marsh grass plastered together and lined 

 with fine grass. It is placed in low bushes and palmettos, but 

 as already stated, it is sometimes built eighty feet above the 

 ground. I have observed nests in the tops of pine trees fully 

 seventy feet from the ground . Three or four eggs are laid and these 

 are bluish white, spotted, blotched, and scrawled with choco- 

 late and purplish shell markings. The average size is about 

 1.25X.80. In some backward seasons the eggs are not laid un- 

 til late in April. 



A pecuUar habit of the males of this species is to perch upon 



