71 



on the Hudson. Cow-Blackbirds come to us in abundance early in 

 April, and may then be seen running swiftly and gracefully about, 

 not hopping, and picking up seeds in newly-planted fields. They 

 are reproductive parasites, as well as polygamists. One of their 

 eggs was hatched by the European House Sparrows, in Highland 

 Falls, N. Y. ; the young Cow-bird thrived, and remained with the 

 Sparrows in the town for some time, and it was a common sight to 

 see them feeding it in the street. Their amours are conducted in an 

 amusing manner. The sexes associate indiscriminately, and in vary- 

 ing proportions. The males, in green-black and chocolate-brown 

 dress, commence the performance by walking about with their necks 

 arched, and decurved, so that their bills nearly touch the ground ; then 

 a male approaches one of the females, which are considerably 

 smaller, and brownish in color, running at full speed, and, when close 

 to her, pitches forward till his bill nearly touches the ground : this 

 as if in salutation. The different males repeat this movement, and 

 the more ardent ones ruff up all their feathers, and drag their ex- 

 panded tails upon the ground, as they strut up to the side of their fav- 

 orites, with skins inflated to an indefinite and alarming extent by the 

 amorous passions within ; meanwhile they utter various uncouth gut- 

 tural noises, some of which resemble the loud, " cork-drawing "notes 

 of the Corvidce, while others are precisely like the sounds produced 

 by tilting a partly empty cask. The females pay little attention, fill 

 their crops, and utter an occasional note resembling that of the Cedar- 

 bird (Ampelis cedrorum). 



Dimensions. Average measurements of eleven males : length, 

 7-92; stretch, 13-57 ; wing, 4-24; tail, 3'01 ; culmen, -67; gape, -68; 

 tarsus, 1-02; middle toe, -72; middle toe and its claw, -94; claw 

 alone, -25. Average measurements of five females: length, 7-18; 

 stretch, 12-22; wing, 3-84; tail, 2-68; culmen, -61; gape, -63; tarsus, 

 94; middle toe, -64; middle toe and its claw, -94; claw alone, '26. 



96. Agelseus phoeniceus (Linne). RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD; 

 MARSH BLACKBIRD. A common summer resident; breeds. Arrives 

 about the beginning of March (first seen March 25, 1871; April 2, 

 1872; March 31, 1873; April 25, 1874; March 18, 1875; 6, 1876, Thomas 

 W. Wilson; April 7, 1877; March 27, 1878; 29, 1879; 28, 1880), and 

 departs before December (last seen November 17, 1877). 



Dimensions. Average measurements of twenty -two males ; length, 

 9-51; stretch, 15-23; wing, 4'72; tail, 3-77; culmen, -93, gape, -97; 

 tarsus, I'll; middle toe, -77; middle toe and its claw, 1-05. Average 

 measurements of eight females: length, 7-74; stretch, 12-56; wing, 

 3-92; tail, 3 -01; culmen, -74; tarsus, 1-01. 



97. Sturnella magna (Linne}. MEADOW-LARK; FIELD-LARK. 

 A resident species ; but only occasional, and never abundant, in win- 



