TROUPIALS. 



361 



with brownish yellow ; while the female is blackish brown above with pale 

 streaks, and below whitish with many dusky streaks. The young male bird 

 at first resembles the female, but is larger, and generally suffused with buff. 



Omitting mention of several genera of the family, we come to a 



genus, QwiscaZus, of the third subfamily or group, rejoicing in 



a variety of names, such as crow-blackbirds, grackles, and boat-tails, but as the 



first two of these are liable to lead to confusion, it is better to adopt for them the 



French name of troupials, which, however, is often applied to the family. In 



THE PURPLE TROCPIAL (§ liat. size). 



these the beak is equal in length to the head, and somewhat crow-like in shape ; 

 the wings are relatively short, the tail of varying length, and the feet long. The 

 best known member of the genus is the purple troupial (Q. purpv/reus) of the 

 Atlantic States, the other species being more southern in their distribution. It is 

 a migratory gregarious bird of very general distribution, building in a tree or 

 bush, and making a large nest, usually of mud. The eggs are generally green 

 or blue in ground-colour, variegated with dark brown and purple markings. 

 These birds at times inflict great injury upon the crops, much to the annoyance 

 of the agriculturist ; but they also destroy large quantities of injurious insects. 

 They have a propensity for destroying the eggs of other birds, especially those 



