S. FERRUGINEUS I RUSTY CRACKLE. 307 



RUSTY CRACKLE. 



SCOLECOPHAGUS FERRUGINEUS {Gm.) SzV. 



Chars. Male, adult : Nearly uniform lustrous black, with greenish 

 reflections. Seldom seen with us in perfect plumage, being gen- 

 erally glossy black, with nearly all the feathers edged with brown 

 above and brownish-yellow below. Bill and feet always black. 

 Female : Entirely rusty brown above, mixed rusty and grayish- 

 black below, with a pale supraciliary stripe ; quills and tail- 

 feathers black. Length of male, 9.00 or more ; extent, 14.50 ; 

 wing, 4.50 ; tail, 3.50 ; bill, 0.75. Female smaller. 



Being a bird of the Canadian Fauna, this Crackle 

 nests in northern New England and thence far toward 

 the Arctic circle. The southern limit of its distribu- 

 tion in summer appears to coincide closely with that 

 of the Fauna just named. Elsewhere it is .chiefly 

 known as a migrant in spring and fall, though a few 

 individuals certainly pass the winter in the lower Con- 

 necticut valley. From their usual winter resorts be- 

 yond our limits, great numbers enter New England in 

 February and March, and may be observed in Massa- 

 chusetts through a considerable part of April, before 

 they finall}^ pass on to their summer homes. In the 

 fall they return early, generally in September, and are 

 abundant for a couple of months. At all times when 

 away from their breeding grounds they are found in 

 flocks of greater or less extent, rambling in search of 

 food over ploughed land and other open ground, some- 

 times by themselves, sometimes associated with other 

 Blackbirds. 



Those who know the bird only in the rusty garb in 

 which it is usually seen with us, would be surprised to 



