FAMILY Icterldee. 



He takes a conspicuous stand at the top of some dead 

 limb when he sends out this emphatic summons, and it 

 certainly is vehement enough for one to imply that busi- 

 ness of a strictly important and urgent nature is pending. 

 The Crow has his enemies, plenty of them, and fc\v if 

 any friends. Still, when he is tamed, he is very loyal to 

 his friend and protector, recognizing his voice and an- 

 swering his call at once. In autumn great numbers of 

 Crows congregate at the seacoast, where the supply of 

 sea food offers a more promising outlook for the winter. 



Family IcteridcK. 

 BOBOLINK, BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. 



This family represents a class of birds which, except- 

 ing the Orioles, are gregarious. The bills of all the spe- 

 cies are comparatively sharp and adapted to their varied 

 diet, which consists of insects, fruit, seeds, etc. The 

 notes of all the species are distinguished by a metallic 

 quality, least noticeable in those of the Oriole, but em- 

 phasized and rendered harsh in those of the Blackbirds. 



Bobolink Bobolink is a " bird of parts." He is no 



Reedbird ordinary fellow; he is the soloist of comic 



Dolichonyx ., _ , , , ^ -,,, 



oryzivorus opera in the fields, the Reedbird on toast 

 L. 7.25 inches of tfie epicure, the Robert of Lincoln of 

 May iath the poet, and the Ricebird or Ortolan of 



his enemy the rice grower of South Carolina! In 

 appearance he and his mate are utterly different; but 

 before the summer is past he changes his costume and 

 dons the sober colors of the female; not content with 

 all this variety, he changes his voice after the nuptial 

 season, and not another liquid, bubbling note do we 

 get from him when once he starts in with his mo- 

 notonous, metallic chink. In spring his colors are 

 patchy. Head black, nape of the neck corn-yellow; tail 

 and wings black, the tail feathers with pointed tips; mid- 

 dle of back patched or streaked with cream-buff; lower 

 back and upper tail coverts white; a patch of white also 

 on the shoulders; the bill, face, and under parts black. 

 48 



