PURPLE GRAKLE. 223 



with others of a fainter tinge. They rarely produce more than 

 one brood in a season. 



The trees where these birds build are often at no great dis- 

 tance from the farm-house, and overlook the plantations. From 

 thence they issue, in all directions, and with as much confidence, 

 to make their daily depredations among the surrounding fields, 

 as if the whole were intended for their use alone. Their chief 

 attention, however, is directed to the Indian corn in all its pro- 

 gressive stages. As soon as the infant blade of this grain begins 

 to make its appearance above ground, the Grakles hail the wel- 

 come signal with screams of peculiar satisfaction; and without 

 waiting for a formal invitation from the proprietor, descend on 

 the fields, and begin to pull up and regale themselves on the 

 seed, scattering the green blades around. While thus eagerly 

 employed, the vengeance of the gun sometimes overtakes them ; 

 but these disasters are soon forgotten, and those 



' who live to get away, 



Return to steal, another day.' 



About the beginning of August, when the young ears are in 

 their milky state, they are attacked with redoubled eagerness 

 by the Grakles and Red-wings, in formidable and combined 

 bodies. They descend like a blackening, sweeping tempest, on 

 the corn, dig off the external covering of twelve or fifteen coats 

 of leaves, as dexterously as if done by the hand of man, and 

 having laid bare the ear, leave little behind to the farmer but 

 the cobs, and shrivelled skins that contained their favourite fare. 

 I have seen fields of corn of many acres, where more than one 

 half was thus ruined. Indeed the farmers in the immediate vi- 

 cinity of the rivers Delaware and Schuylkill, generally allow 

 one-fourth of this crop to the Blackbirds, among whom our 

 Grakle comes in for his full share. During these depredations, 

 the gun is making great havock among their numbers, which 

 has no other effect on the survivors than to send them to anoth- 

 er field, or to another part of the same field. This system of 

 plunder and of retaliation continues until November, when to- 



