284 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



considered as purely an accidental visitant. There are but three 

 or four other records for surrounding states. 



Family ICTERIDAE. Blackbirds, Orioles, etc. 



DOLICHONYX ORYZIVORUS (Linn.). Bobolink. 

 Rather rare migrant. 



Bobolinks are occasionally present in small flocks during the 

 first half of May and again during September. They some- 

 times occur on the prairie regions, but more commonly in the 

 Missouri Valley. They are sometimes heard migrating at night 

 when they may be readily distinguished by their characteristic 

 "pink." They are usually in song on the northward flight, 

 but on the return are silent save for the "pink, pink." 



MOLOTHRUS ATER ATER (Boddaert). Cowbird. 



Very common summer resident; occasional winter resident. 



Though an occasional Cowbird is seen during the winter 

 months, usually in the company of blackbirds, the earliest mi- 

 grants do not arrive until the first or second week in March 

 and the bulk of the flight not until a week or two later. The 

 autumn migration is at its height during late September and 

 early October. 



The Cowbird is generally distributed over the entire county 

 and is fairly common within the city. Whenever the eggs of 

 this parasitic species are found in the nests of more desirable 

 song birds they should be destroyed, as the young are a menace 

 to the young of the host species. 



XANTHOCEPHALUS XANTHOCEPHALUS (Bonaparte). Yellow- 

 headed Blackbird. 

 Not very common migrant and rare summer resident. 



The Yellow-headed Blackbird arrives during the second week 

 of April and is rarely seen after October. It is to be found on 

 the prairie regions during migration, but occurs in greater num- 

 bers in the Missouri bottom lands and on the farming country 

 near the bluffs. It is probably not as common as formerly, and 

 does not breed as freely in this county. It nests in colonies 

 about the river lakes in several of the up-river counties, as at 

 Bean Lake and at Armour. 



