572 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA THOMPSON. 



1 ; next seen, four males, on May 3 ; is common here all summer and 

 breeds, nesting in the bullrushes (Calcutt). Qu'Apelle : Common sum- 

 mer resident ; breeds ; arrives April 18 (Guernsey.) 



The voice of this bird is somewhat like that of the redwing, but is 

 more varied, and in many of its intonations j)resents such a curious 

 resemblance to the human voice as to suggest the possibility of its 

 learning to articulate words. Its distribution is regulated by the 

 amount of sedgy marsh in a neighborhood ; thus, south of Winnipeg it 

 is exceedingly abundant, and at Portage la Prairie it is very common ; 

 but in the immediate vicinity of Oarberry it is the least common of the 

 blackbirds. In its nesting and general habits it somewhat resembles 

 the redwing, but is more terrestial and less disposed to haunt willow 

 sloughs. 



Arrives about May I ; departs early iu October. A frost just sufficient to form a 

 thin coat of ice on standing water, on the night of October 6, 1884, drove out the 

 whole array of these birds and all kindred species that roost in the reeds 

 of the sloughs. I watched them iu to roost that evening, as usual, but at day- 

 light the next morning they had gone, leaving only a few straggling grackles behind. 



Does not occur east of Long Lake, a sheet of water about 22 miles west of Winni- 

 peg, near which city I could not find it or hear of it, although the country seems to 

 be just suited to its want. (Nash, in MSS.) 



166. Agelaius phoeniceus. Red-winged Blackbird. Soldier Blackbird. 



Abundant summer resident, frequenting the willow-edged sloughs. 

 Pembina (Coues). CommonatEed River Settlements (D. Gunn). Red 

 River Settlement on April 26 (Blakiston). Dufterin: x\rrived between 

 April 15 and 20 (Dawson). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant 

 (Hine). Ossowa: Common; breeding; 1885, first seen, one, on April 

 25; next seen on April 26; became common April 28 (Wagner). Oak 

 Point: 1884, arrived April 14; 1885, first seen April 18, next seen 

 April 19; is common and breeds here (Small). Portage la Prairie: 

 Common summer resident ; arrive about April 15 ; depart early in Oc- 

 tober, though in 1885 a small partj^ remained here until nearly the mid- 

 dle of November, long after everything was frozen up; they frequented 

 my garden, feeding on the sunflower seeds ; when these were exhausted 

 I saw no more of them ; in 1884, first seen April 22 (Nash). Very com- 

 mon in willow ponds in the Winuepegosis region (Macoun). Carberry : 

 Abundant summer resident; breeding near Shoal Lake, west (Thomp- 

 son). Two Rivers: 1885, first seen, several, on April 16; next seen, 

 April 17; became common, with two other species, April 18 (Criddle). 

 Dalton: 1889, first seen, one, on April 13 ; next seen on April 15, when 

 it became common ; breeds here (Youmans). Shell River : 1885, first 

 seen, thirty-one, on April 13 ; afterwards seen every day, male and fe- 

 male, in flock ; commop all summer and breeds here (Calcutt). Qu'Ap- 

 pelle: Common summer resident ; breeds; arrives April 18 (Guernsey). 



June 11, 1882: Went in the morning with two brothers to the lake in 

 the sand hills east of De Winton ; saw there large numbers of Marsh 



