210 iS'URTIl AMERICAN BIKDS. 



the CowMrd and ruiple Grtikle in tlic Kast. Like others of their trihe they 

 are very ahunthxnt where found at all, and eminently ••regarious, except 

 whilst breeding. Yet 1 never saw such inminieralde multitudes together as 

 the Kedwinged Blackhird, or even its Californian congener, ^1. tricolor, shows 

 in the fall, Hocks of fifty or a hundred being oftenest seen. I'nlike the 

 Af/e/ai, they show no partiality for swampy phu-es, being lovers of tlie woods 

 and fields, and a})pearing perfectly at home in the clearings about man's 

 abode, where their sources of sui»ply are made sure through his bounty or 

 wastefulness. They are well adapted for terrestrial life l»y the size and 

 strength of their feet, and spend much of their time on the ground, betaking 

 themselves to the trees on alarm. On the ifr«>und thev habituallv run with 

 nimble steps, when seeking food, only occasionally hopping leisurely, like a 

 Sparrow, upon both feet at once. Their movements are generally quick, 

 and their attitudes varied. Thev run with the head lowered and tail soine- 



ft/ 



what elevated and partly spread for a balance, but in walking slowly the 

 head is held high, and oscillates with every step. The customary attitude 

 when perching is with the body nearly erect, the tail hanging hjosely down, 

 and the bill ])ointing u]>ward ; l)ut should their attention be attracted, this 

 negligent posture is changed, the birds sit low and hnnly, with elevated and 

 wide-spread tail rapidly Hirted, whilst the bright eye peers clown through 

 the foliage. When a tlock comes down to the ground to search for food, 

 they generally huddle closely together and pass jn-etty quickly along, each 

 one striving to be first, and in their eagerness they continually fiy up and 

 re-alight a few j)aces ahead, so that the flock seems, as it were, to be rolling 

 over and over. When disturbed at such times, they fly in a dense body to 

 a neighboring tree, but then almost invariably scatter as they settle among 

 the boughs. The alarm over, one, more adventurous, flies down again, two 

 or three follow in his wake, and the rest come trooi)ing after. In their be- 

 havior towards man, they exhibited a curious mixture of heedlessness and 

 timidity; they wouhl ramble about almost at our feet sometimes, yet the 

 least unusual sound or movement sent them scurrying into the trees. They 

 became tamest about the stables, where thev would walk almost under the 

 liorses' feet, like (.\nvbirds in a farm-yard. 



"Their hunger satisfied, the Pdackbirds wouLl fly into the pine-trees and 

 remain a long time motionless, though not at all (piiet. They were *at sing- 

 ing-school,' we used to say, and certainly there was room for improvement 

 in their chorus; but if their notes were not particularly harmonious, they 

 were si)rightly, varied, and on the whole rather agreeal)le, suggesting the 

 jovialitv that Blackbirds alwavs show when their stomachs are full, and the 

 prospect of further supply is good. Their n(jtes are rapid and emphatic, and, 

 like the barking of coyotes, give an inq)ression of many more performers 

 than are really engaged. They have a smart chirp, like the clashing of })eb- 

 bles, fretpiently re]»eated at intervals, varied with a long-drawn mellow 

 whistle. Their ordinary iKjte, continually uttered when they are searching 



