TYPICAL TROUPIALS. 



21 



white, streaked with black ; sides of body otherwise 

 similar, but more buffish; anal tuft pale buff; under 

 wing-coverts white ; upper mandible black, with paler 

 edges, lower pale greyish-blue ; feet flesh-greyish ; 

 irides brown. Female much smaller ; the crown more 

 streaked at the sides with brown ; sides of head and 

 neck more buffish ; black patch on chest smaller ; yellow 

 of under-parts duller. Hab. : Plains of N. America 

 from Saskatchewan southward to Columbia and Guiana . 

 also Cuba (the S. hippocrepis of Wagler). 



Professor Ridgway recognises five local forms or 

 sub-species of this bird ; differing chiefly in size and 

 slight modifications of plumage : two other forms re- 



farded by Dr. Sclater as sub-species S. neglecta and 

 . hippocrepis he raises to the rank of species. J. G. 

 Cooper ("Ornithology of California," Vol I., pp. 271, 

 272) says : " This bird is very abundant, and resident 

 throughout nearly the entire State, though probably 

 leaving the 1 high mountains in winter. I think they 



HEAD OF MALE AND FEMALE MILITARY TROUPIAL. 



build in the Colorado Valley, as well as all other 

 districts not quite waterless, including all the islands 

 except one or two. 



"In fact, the vast grassy plains and hills of Cali- 

 fornia are the most favourable nurseries of this species 

 that could be imagined. Their abundance and large 

 ^ize force them on the attention of everyone, while 

 their lively, sweet, and varied songs make them general 

 favourites. They sing at all seasons, early and late ; 

 from the ground, the tree-top, fence, or flying in the 

 air, and when unmolested become so tame as to make 

 the house-top a favourite perch. Their time in spring 

 seems equally divided between an industrious search for 

 food and musical contests with their neighbours. Even 

 the female has considerable musical power, and cheers 

 her mate by singing while he relieves her in sitting on 

 the eggs. She then also has a harsh, petulant chirp, 

 frequently repeated as if in anger. 



"Their flight is usually slow and laborious, partly 

 sailing, and they furnish pretty good game for the 

 sportsman wften no other is to be found. Their flesh, 

 though rather dry and insipid, is white and much 



eaten, especially by foreigners, who consider everj 

 bird, however small, a great delicacy. 



"Their nest is made in a slight depression under a 

 bunch of grass, and usually more or less arched over 

 by blades bent down. It is quite artfully concealed, 

 and the female, if on it, generally skulks off some dis- 

 tance before flying. The eggs are four or five, measur- 

 ing -1.15 by 0.85 inch, very obtuse, white, with a few 

 large purplish-brown blotches and dots towards the 

 large end. 



" They feed chiefly on insects, grass-seeds, and grain, 

 but do no damage in the fields, while they destroy 

 many noxious insects. They walk rather awkwardly, 

 but quickly, and have great ingenuity in concealing 

 themselves when wounded." 



A rarely imported bird, which first reached the 

 London Zoological Gardens in 1864. Russ says : "Its 

 price stands tolerably high with us 15 to 20 marks 

 apiece." 



COMMON MILITARY TROUPIAL (Trupialis militaris). 



Above brown, streaked, especially on head and back, 

 with black ; a broad stripe from above eye to back of 

 crown, red just in front of eye, white behind and 

 edged with black below ; throat, middle of neck, breast 

 and front of abdomen scarlet ; rest of under-surf ace 

 black, the feathers at sides of abdomen and at vent 

 edged with brown ; bend of wing scarlet ; under wing- 

 coverts white ; bill horn-colour ; feet brown ; irides 

 brown. Female much smaller; browner above, with 

 paler edges to the feathers ; more sandy and more regu- 

 larly marked from bill backwards ; tail regularly barred 

 with black ; throat buff-whitish ; sides of neck, front 

 of breast, and ear-coverts ashy, ticked with black ; 

 sides and flanks ashy olive-brown, with dusky streaks ; 

 scarlet restricted to centre of breast, back of chest, and 

 abdomen ; bill shorter, weaker, and less curved than 

 in the male. Hab. : Chili, Patagonia, and Falkland 

 Islands. 



Durnford observed that this was a common bird at 

 Chupat. " He took a nest from a tuft of pampas-grass 

 near the river banks at the beginning of November. It 

 is resident, and is seen in small parties of four or five, 

 or in small flocks seldom exceeding twenty or thirty 

 in number. It feeds and lives on the ground and only 

 occasionally is it seen to perch on a low 'bush. Its 

 flight is strong, and it flies about a great deal, and 

 usually utters its song when on the wing. The song is 

 continued all the year, and is heard even on the coldest 

 days in winter ; the notes are few, and not highly 

 melodious, but are cheerful and vigorous. 



" The nest is made of dry grass and rootlets attached 

 to the rushes in moist ground, and placed close to or 

 resting on the surface. The eggs are five, the ground- 

 colour Vhite spotted or blotched with reddish brown."* 



Captain Crawshay ("Birds of Tierra del Fuego," p. 

 58) says : " The Military Starling is a conspicuous bird, 

 being as it is such a departure in colouring in a 

 world where all else is generally so subdued in tone. 

 Scrub-covered hills and valleys and the outskirts of 

 forest are its haunt. The scarlet breast is visible two 

 hundred yards away. The ordinary num-ber seen is a 

 pair, or at most four or five together. _ It is very much 

 a Starling in its ways, also in its limited song. It 

 runs hither and thither on the ground, nodding and 

 bobbing, feeding for dear life. The flight is ^powerful, 

 but somewhat heavy. The song if song it can be 

 called is extraordinarily laboured. It is usually uttered 

 from a tree-top or bush, especially towards evening. 



* I first of all translated this account from Rues, but had to 

 erase it on account of the freeness of hia translation. 



