THE REED-BIRD. 257 



and a half in extent. His spring dress is as follows : upper part 

 of the head, wings, tail, and sides of the neck, and whole lower 

 parts, black ; the feathers frequently skirted with brownish-yellow, 

 as he passes into the colors of the female ; back of the head a 

 cream-color ; back black, seamed with brownish-yellow ; scapulars 

 pure white; rump and tail-coverts the same; lower parts of the 

 back bluish-white ; tail formed like those of the woodpecker genus, 

 and often used in the same manner, being thrown in to support it 

 while ascending the stalks of the reed : this habit of throwing in 

 the tail it retains even in the cage ; legs a brownish flesh-color ; 

 eye hazel. In the month of June this plumage gradually changes 

 to a brownish-yellow ; bill reddish color ; legs and eyes as in the 

 male. The young birds retain the dress of the female until the 

 early part of the succeeding spring ; the plumage of the female 

 undergoes no material change of color." 



THEIR MIGRATIONS. 



The reed-bird breeds and spends the larger portion of the sum 

 mer months in the Northern States, extending its peregrinations 

 in this direction as far as Lake Ontario and the river St. Law- 

 rence. Their nests are built upon the ground, usually in a field of 

 grass, wheat, or barley, and contain from four to six eggs, of a 

 bluish-white color, irregularly spotted. They raise but one brood 

 in a season, and, as soon as the young are able to leave the nests, 

 they associate with other broods, and thus in a short time form 

 large families, which are seen making their way over the country 

 from all quarters towards the banks of the streams and large 

 rivers, where they feed upon the reeds or plunder the grainfields 

 of our farmers. Although so very small and insignificant in 

 appearance, they often do serious injury to the crops, more par- 

 ticularly to the oatfields of New England, which they visit in 

 countless multitudes. Towards the middle of August, forsaking 

 their feeding-grounds in the North, the familiar "clink" of the 

 reedy is heard on every side in the neighborhood of Philadelphia, 



and may be distinctly recognised on a still evening, as they pass 



17 



