BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. 301 



on a fence sometimes looks at you out of his pale yellow eyes and 

 then bristles up and gives a loud shrill whistle. 



Although quick to appreciate the advantages of civilization, 

 cyanocephalus is by no means exclusively a dooryard bird, nesting 

 principally, indeed, in unsettled districts, in willows in the pine 

 belt of Arizona and in sagebrush around the edges of marshes in 

 the arid Great Basin country. It nests in much smaller colonies 

 than many of the blackbirds, five to ten pairs being the common 

 number. 



After the breeding season the birds may be seen as high as tirn- 

 berline on Mt. Shasta, solemnly walking over the rocks around snow 

 streams, or as low down as sea-level, at places like Santa Cruz, 

 where they run around on the hard sand beach, feeding and bathing 

 in the shallows filled with seaweed. 



Their food varies with the season and the locality. On ranches 

 they do a great deal of good by following the plough and destroying 

 grubs, but after the nesting season they gather in large flocks and 

 often do serious harm in the grain fields. 



GENUS QUISCALUS. 



General Characters. Bill about as long as head, crow-like, but more 

 tapering and acute ; tail graduated and folded laterally ; feet stout ; tar- 

 sus about equal to middle toe and claw. 



KEY TO ADULT MALES. 



1. Body bronzy, size medium geneua, p. 301. 



1'. Body greenish, size very large macrourus, p. 302. 



Subgenus Quiscalus, 



5 lib. Quiscalus quiscula seneus (Eidgw.). BRONZED 

 GKACKLE. 



Adult male. Whole head and neck purple, dark peacock blue or 

 green, in sharp contrast to uni- 

 form bronze of body ; wings and 

 tail plum purple, not metallic. 

 Adult female : similar, but smaller 

 and duller. Young : from plain 

 dark brown to colors of adults. 

 Male: length (skins) 10.90-12.50, 

 wing 5.38-6.03, bill 1.21-1.32. 

 Female : length (skins) 9.25- 

 10.60, wing 4.83-5.18, tail 4.16- 

 4.46, bill 1.13-1.23. 



Distribution. From Great 

 Slave Lake south to Louisiana 

 and western Texas, and from the From Biological Sur ve y , u. s. Dept. of Agriculture. 

 Alleghanies and northern New Fig. 367. 



England west to the Rocky Moun- 

 tains; migrating to the southeastern states except the coast districts. 

 Breeds throughout its range, but chiefly north of its winter range. 



