BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. 361 



bird being a wooden rolling call as different from the voice of the 

 parent as is that of the young Baltimore Oriole." (Chapman, F. M., 

 ' Camps and Cruises.") 



1909. ROBERTS, T. S., Auk, XXVI, 371-389 (home-life). 



498. Agelaius phoeniceus phoeniceus (Linn.}. RED-WINGED BLACK- 

 BIRD. Ad. &. Lesser wing-coverts 'shoulders' bright scarlet; middle 

 wing-coverts varying from ochraceous-buff to buffy white ; rest of the plu- 

 mage black. Ad. <? in winter. Similar, but upperparts margined, with rusty. 

 1m. & in winter. Upperparts margined with rusty and buffy; underparts 

 tipped with whitish; lesser wing-coverts dull orange-red mixed with black. 

 Ad. 9. Head and back blackish, streaked with rusty and buffy; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts fuscous, more or less edged with ashy; wings fus- 

 cous, edged with buffy, the lesser coverts sometimes tinged with reddish; 

 underparts conspicuously streaked with black and white; the throat tinged 

 with orange or yellow. <? L., 9'51; W., 4'72; T., 3'77; B., '88., depth at 

 base *50. 



Range. N. A. e. of the Great Plains, except Gulf coast and Fla. Breeds 

 from Ont., N. S., and Que., southward; winters mainly s. of Ohio and Del. 

 valleys, locally n. to Mass. 



Washington, common P. R., abundant in migration. Ossining, common 

 S. R., Feb. 25-Nov. 11. Cambridge, abundant S. R., Mch. 10-Aug. 30.; 

 a few winter. N. Ohio, abundant S. R., Mch. 1-Nov. 15. Glen Ellyn, 

 common S. R., Mch. 5-Nov. 19. SE. Minn., common S. R., Mch. 8-Nov. 14. 



Nest, of coarse grasses, weed stalks, etc., lined with finer grasses and root- 

 lets, attached to low bushes or reeds. Eggs, 3-5, pale blue, singularly 

 streaked, spotted or scrawled with dark purple or "black, chiefly at the larger 

 end, l;04 x '72. Date, Chester Co., Pa., May 16; Cambridge, May 16: 

 se. Minn., May 8. 



A swiftly moving, compact band of silent birds, passing low through 

 the brown orchard, suddenly wheels, and, alighting among the bare 

 branches, with the precision of a trained choir breaks into a wild, tink- 

 ling glee. It is quite possible that in the summer this rude chorus 

 might fail to awaken enthusiasm, but in the spring it is as welcome 

 and inspiring a promise of the new year as the peeping of frogs or 

 blooming of the first wild flower. 



Plain, streaked Mrs. Redwing, who has been spending the winter in 

 flocks composed only of others of her sex, soon appears, but mating is de- 

 layed until late April or early May. Then we find the old homes li- 

 the wet meadows and marshes occupied by apparently the same birds 

 which have dwelt there for years. 



Mounting the topmost branch of a tree not far from the nest, the 

 male becomes an ever- vigilant sentinel. His rich "kong-qu&r-ree," 

 which by association is so strongly suggestive of reedy marshes, is a 

 signal that "all's well." He challenges all suspicious characters by an 

 inquiring chut, chuck, and with a long, shrill alarm-note, chee-e-e-e-e, 

 circles out on fluttering wings, his gorgeous crimson epaulets showing 

 conspicuously. 



The nesting season is a short one, and in July young and old begin 

 to gather in flocks in the marshes, where later they will be found, in 

 countless numbers, feeding on the wild rice. 



1905. HURRICK, F. H., Home-Life of Wild Birds, 45-48. 



