CROW BLACKBIRD. 21 



Jury against these "queer politicians," who is 

 there that could not confess to a thrill of pleasure 

 when they appear about the house " clatt'rin' in 

 taU trees " ? 



As Mr. Burroughs has it : " The air is filled 

 with cracking, splintering, spurting, semi-musical 

 sounds, which are like pepper and salt to the ear." 

 There is a delicious reality to their notes. We 

 feel now that spring is not a myth of the poets, 

 after all, but that she has sent this black advance 

 guard as a promise of wild flowers and May-day. 



Black, did I say ? Nothing could be more mis- 

 leading. Mr. Ridgway describes the body of the 

 purple grackle as " brassy olive or bronze," his 

 neck as " steel-blue, violet, purple, or brassy 

 green," and his wings and tail as " purplish or 

 violet-purplish." He is one of the most brilliant 

 of our bird beauties. Watch him as he ambles 

 over the branches, and when the sunlight strikes 

 him you will wonder who could have been so blind 

 as to dub him blackbird. Call him, rather, the 

 black opal ! 



He is a bird of many accomplishments. To 

 begin with, he does not condescend to hop, like 

 ordinary birds, but imitates the crow in his stately 

 walk ; then he has a steering apparatus that the 

 small boy might well study in coasting time. He 

 can turn his tail into a rudder. Watch him as 

 he flies. While he is going straight ahead you 

 do not notice anything unusual, but as soon as he 



