GRALLA 379 
orange and the legs yellow, but the bird’s most characteristic feature 
is afforded by the curious caruncles of bright yellow, which, begin- 
ning behind the eyes, run backward in form of a lappet on each 
side, and then return in a narrow stripe to the top of the head. 
Beneath each eye also is a bare patch of the same colour. This 
species is common in southern India, and is represented further to 
the north, in Ceylon, Burma and some of the Malay Islands by 
cognate forms. ‘They are all frugivorous, and, being easily tamed 
and learning to pronounce words very distinctly, are favourite 
cage-birds. In Africa they are perhaps represented by a somewhat 
similar genus, which authors generally continue to call Dilophus, 
CREATOPHORA CARUNCULATA. (After Swainson.) 
though that name has long been preoccupied. There is but one 
species, the Creatophora carunculata of Lesson (Descr. Mammif. et Ois. 
p. 308), the common Locust-BIrRD of South Africa. 
In the New World the name Grackle has been applied to 
several species of the genera Scolecophagus and Quiscalus, though 
these are more commonly called in Canada and the United States 
“Blackbirds,” or Maize-birds, and some of them “ Boat-tails.” 
They all belong to the Family Jcteridz. The best known of these 
are the Rusty Grackle, S. ferrugineus, which pervades almost the 
whole of North America, and Q. purpureus, the Purple Grackle or 
Crow-Blackbird, of more limited range, for though abundant 
enough in most parts to the east of the Rocky Mountains, it seems 
not to appear on the Pacific side. There is also Brewer’s or the 
Blue-headed Grackle, 8. cyanocephalus, which has a more western 
range, not occurring to the eastward of Kansas and Minnesota, 
while a fourth species, @. major, is found to inhabit the Atlantic 
States as far as North Carolina. All these birds are of exceedingly 
omnivorous habit, and though undoubtedly destroying large num- 
bers of pernicious insects are in many places held in bad repute 
from the mischief they do to the corn-crops (see ICTERUS). 
GRALLA, the fourth Order of Birds in the Linnzan system, 
composed of the genera Phwnicopterus (FLAMINGO), Platalea (SPOON- 
BILL), Palamedea (SCREAMER), Mycteria (JABIRU), Tantalus (IBIS), 
Ardea (Heron), Recurvirostra (Avoset), Scolopax (Woopcocr), 
1 Dilophus was used for a genus of Diptera in 1803 by Meigen (Mag. f. 
Insektenk. ii. p. 264). The bird was originally described by Walch in 1777 
(Naturf. xi. p. 9)asa Tringa! It is the Cockscomb Stare of Latham (Synops. 
li. p. 8). 
