THE RUSTY BLAOKBIED. 491 



motion, chasing encli otlier oi- tiying from perch to perch, singing merrily most 

 of the time." 



In the more southern portions of its l)reeding range, in Herkimer Connty, 

 New York, nichfication connnences as early as the last week in April. Dr. 

 William L. Ralph fonnd a nest containing four fresh eggs on May 7, 1886, but 

 it usually commences laying here about the middle of this month, and if the 

 first set of eggs is taken, a second one may lie looked for about two weeks later. 

 With a set of five eggs in the Ralph collection, taken on May 27, 1892, in 

 which incubation had slightly advanced, the following remarks are entered on 

 the data Ijlank belonging to it: "Wlien T reached the nest I found the female 

 bird dallying with two males, tlnttering lier wings, raising her tall above her 

 back, an(l calling to them. All three finally flew to the nest and made a great 

 deal of noise in the clump of trees in which it was situated and on the mossy 

 groimd beneath. At first the female ap})eared to care more for the attentions of 

 the males than she did for her nest, but as soon as 1 began taking the eggs she 

 and one of the males made a great fuss and attempted to scare me away. I 

 think the other male was one of a. pair to which a deserted nest l)elonge(l, found 

 May 12, containing two cold, wet eggs; the female had probably been killed." 



Through the kindness of Dr. Ralph I had an opi^ortunity of observing a pair 

 of these l)irds, and also their nest and eggs, In the spring of 1893, the only ones 

 nesting in that vicinity. 



Dr. C. Hart Merriam found it lireeding on the nortli brancli of Moose 

 River, near Big Moose Lake, New York, on June If), 1883, and presented me 

 a handsome set of four eggs taken liy liini there. The nest was placed in a 

 winterberry or black elder l)ush {Ilr.r miiril/afa), 3 feet from tlic gri>und, near 

 the edge of a stream. 



Mr. W. Gr. AVinton took a nest and eggs near the Stewiacke River, Nova 

 Scotia, in 1860, and these egg» nn-, now in the United States National Museum 

 collection. 



Mr. W. L. Bishop, of Kentville, Nova Scotia, informs me that lie found the 

 Rusty Blackbird breeding there as early as May 5, and that he thinks only one 

 brood is raised in a season. 



Messrs. K. W. Nelson and L. jM. Turner both report it conmion on the 

 Yukon River, Alaska, and several eggs taken near Fort Yul^on are now in 

 the collection here. The latter naturalist also took young birds near Fort 

 (!himo, Ungava, on July 10, 1884. Ileue they frecpiented swanujy tracts in 

 wliicli a few isolateil spruce and larch trees grew. 



Prof Winfred A. Steams says that in Labrador "the Rusty Blackbird had a 

 summer breeding range all along the coast line, at least as far north as L'Anse 

 an Loupe, at which place it was a summer resident. Mr. Fred. Davis informs 

 nw. that the bird occasionally built its nest in a wood pile."^ 



Mr. R. MacP'arlane found it l)reeding on the Anderson Rivci-, Britisli North 

 America; Mr. James Lockhart, on the Yukon, near \ho. moutli of tlie Porcupine 



'Bird Life iu Lal)ra(lor, 1890, p. 53. 



