• ^ THE BOAT-TAILED GliACKLE. 507 



durinf;- the rest of the year in hirg-e flocks. In some sections they disappear 

 sometimes from tlieir usual haunts in the late smnmer for a month or so, for 

 some unknown reason, pi-obablv going in search of better feeding grounds, only 

 to return later. They sjjend a good deal of their time on the ground, walking- 

 along slowly and sedately while searching' for food. It requires quite an effort 

 for one of the birds to rise from the ground, and until fairly started its flight 

 is slow, heavy, and laborious. 



Their food is largely derived from the sea, and consists mainly of small 

 mollusks and crustaceans of different kinds picked up in the salt marshes and 

 mud flats during low tide, and of dead fish, insects, etc., carried in by the tides. 

 They also feed, though to a small extent only, on vegetable matter, such as rice 

 and other grains, and occasionally on fruit. 



In the more northern portions of their range these birds usually arrive about 

 the beginning of March, and are at first very restless, roving about from place 

 to place until the nesting season commences. They are unusually noisy during 

 this time, and their peculiar, grating notes can be constantly heard; some of 

 these are very shrill and unpleasant to the ear, but frequently during the mating 

 season a rather indifterent attempt at singing is made; this is somewhat less dis- 

 agreeable, Init im[)ossible to describe on paper. 



Mr. Frank M. Chapman describes a singular note of theirs as resembling 

 the flapping of wings, as of a Coot tripping over the water. He says: "This 

 sound was ver}* familiar to me, and so excellent is the imitation that for a long 

 time I attributed it to one of the numerous Coots which abound in most places 

 favored by Quiscahis major." ^ 



Mr. W. E. Grover, of Galveston, Texas, writes: "One of their common 

 call notes, when sitting at ease in a tree, is a noisy, clucking 'clac-clac-clac,' fre- 

 quently followed by a long-drawn whistle like 'who-it, who-it.' In this vicinity 

 they nest principally in tule reeds growing in fresh-water ponds, and in the 

 thick matted grass on the edges of salt bayous, some nests being partly in 

 the water at high tide. Some also nest in Cherokee rosel>ushes, and occasion- 

 ally a pair will l)uild in a tree, as much as 40 feet from the ground. The nests 

 of birds building in trees are not so deep nor so Avell made as those in the canes." 



Nidification appears to be somewhat irregular with this species. In southern 

 Florida some of these birds begin laying during the first week in March, when 

 quite a number have not even begun nest building. The nesting season lasts 

 until June here, and probably two broods are raised regularly. In the northern 

 portions of their range it begins in the latter part of April, and is sometimes pro- 

 tracted until May. The nests are usually strong, bulky structures, measuring, 

 on an average, about 7 inches in height by 8 inches in width. The inner cup is 

 about 3 inches deep by 4i inches in diameter. They are constructed mainly 

 of coarse grass, sedges, weed stalks, and fil)rous roots, cemented and more or 

 less mixed with mud. In some nests no nuid is used, and these are conse- 

 quently not as solid. Some are built principally of Spanish moss, others of eel- 



' The AuU, 188S, p. 27:i. 



