ANDERSON — THE BIRDS OF IOWA. 3OI 



resident in all parts of the state from the middle of March until 

 the middle of November. The nest is generally placed in a bunch 

 of grass, sedges or cat-tails in marshy situations, but sometimes 

 in willows along the banks of streams. They nest usually in 

 colonies, and the ringing note of kong-qiier-ree may be heard 

 throughout the summer. In the fall they congregate in immense 

 flocks and sometimes do damage to grain-fields. W. W. Cooke 

 estimated that 300,000 birds of this species were living on Mus- 

 catine Island in x\pril, 1878. On April 6, 18S3, Mr. W. A. Les- 

 ter notes the same state of affairs, saying that they have been 

 roosting by thousands in the timber on Muscatine Island for a 

 month or more (O. & O., 1883, p. 51). Occasionally a few indi- 

 viduals are seen in winter, even in the northern part of the state. 

 I have seen a single specimen near Forest City during the early 

 part of January. 



Carl Fritz Henning reports a perfect albino shot north of Boone 

 September 17, 1893, (O.,3o, xviii, 1893, P- HS)- M. E. Halvor- 

 sen also shot one in Winnebago county about Jul}' i, 1901, and 

 saw another, an albino, at the same time. The Wiiniebago county 

 specimen is in my collection. The eggs are usually laid from the 

 15th to the 30th of May, four or five in number, pale blue, vari- 

 ously streaked, spotted and blotched with black in fantastic pat- 

 terns. 



Charles Aldrich of Webster City, in 1881, noted a diminution 

 in number during the preceding twenty-five years, due to the 

 drainage and tillage (Am. Nat., xv, i88r, pp. 476-7). This dim- 

 inution has probably occurred in all parts of the state as settle- 

 ment proceeded, although the Blackbirds easily adapt themselves 

 to circumstances, and hold their own fairly well. 



216. (498). Agelaiusphceniceus fortis^x^'g^. Thick-billed Red- 

 wing. 



"The Thick-billed or Northern Redwing is similar to A. p. 

 phoeniceus but decidedly larger and with the bill relatively much 

 shorter and thicker; adult male and female in winter plumage, 

 and immature male similar in coloration to the same of A. p. son- 

 oriensis, differing from the latter in larger size and conspicuously 

 shorter and thicker bill. Breeding range, Mackenzie R., Atha- 

 basca, and other interior districts of British America. During 



[Proc. D. a. S., Vol. XI. 1 41 [Nov. 26, 1906.] 



