l[^iJ/- 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND- 



OOLOGIST. 



A Series of Eggs of the Great-tailed 

 Crackle. 



The egjjs of the Great-tailed Gracklc {Quis- 

 calus macroiirus) bear a strong resemblance to 

 those of the Boat-tailed Gracklc (Q. major) 

 but average longer. There is nothing like the 

 variation of coloration shovvn in the eggs of 

 either of these species that one is familiar 

 with in those of the Purple Grackle (Q. qiih- 

 rnla) and the Bronzed Grackle (Q. qtiisrula 

 leneufi). 



Set I. April 18, 1889. Camargo, Mexico. 

 Nest in mesquite tree ten feet from ground. 

 Composed of grass, leaves and mud. Four 

 eggs, incubation begun. Pale bluish, but at 

 the smaller ends the ground color is purplish 

 gray. The markings consist of lines running 

 around the eggs, and these are more or less 

 wavy, and arc of burnt umber and clove brown. 

 They arc closer together and heavier near the 

 smaller ends: 1.28x.S0; 1.2C)X.85; 1.20x.8."); 

 1.32 X. 80. 



Set II. April 20, 1889. Camargo, Mexico. 

 Nest in swamp, among reeds. Four eggs, 

 fresh. Pale bluish, clouded at the smaller 

 ends with raw umber, and lined with burnt 

 umber and clove brown: 1.20x. 88; 1.2r)x.r)0; 

 1.20x.8(i; 1.21 x.84. 



Set III, May 19, 1888. Nueces, Texas. 

 Nest in reeds, eighteen inches up. Four eggs, 

 incubation 1)egun. Pale bluish, with faint 

 raw umber cloudings at the smaller ends, and 

 lined with seal brown and black: 1.29 x. 87; 

 1.84 x>9; 1.2r)X.8r); l.:34x.89. 



.Set IV. April 4, 1889. Camargo, Mexico. 

 Nest in bunch of reeds, two feet above the 

 water. Four eggs, incubation begun. Pale 

 bluish, clouded at the smaller ends with raw 

 umber and lined with black: 1.25x.8fi; 

 1.20X.91; 1.2:lx.8S; 1.24 x. 85. 



SetV. April 29, 1889. Camargo, Mexico. 

 Nest in swamp, in tuft of rushes, and made of 



swamp grass, mud, etc. Four eggs. Pale 

 bluish, heavily clouded with raw umber at the 

 smaller ends, and lined with black: 1.27 x.84; 

 1.28 X. 85; 1.21 X. 85; 1.21x.sr). 



Set VI. June 15, 1889. Camargo, Mexico. 

 Nest in a low tree near the river. Composed 

 of grasses, etc. Four eggs, incubation begun. 

 Pale bluish, three of the eggs being faintly 

 clouded at the smaller ends, with raw umber, 

 while the other is unclouded. All four are 

 lined with black: l.lOx .84; 1.20 x .84; 1.15x81; 

 1.21 x.84. 



Set VII. April 29, 1889. Camargo, Mexico. 

 Nest of dry grass, etc., in rccd swamp, four 

 feet from water. Five eggs, incubation ad- 

 vanced. Pale bluish, heavily clouded at the 

 smaller ends with raw umber, and profusely 

 lined with black. The majority of the mark- 

 ings are at the smaller ends: 1.24x.8G; 

 1.25 X. 81; 1.23X.87; 1.25x.78; 1.15 x. 80. 



Set VIII. April 18, 1889. Camargo, Mex- 

 ico. Nest of grasses, etc., in low bush near 

 the ground. Five eggs, incubation begun. 

 Pale bluish; two of the eggs having a raw 

 umber tint near the smaller ends, but the 

 other three have the plain ground color. All 

 are profusely lined with burnt umber and 

 seal brown: 1.21 x. 85; 1.22 x. 86; 1.25 x. 89: 

 1.24 X. 85; 1.25x.90. 



Set IX. May 4, 1889. Camargo, Mexico. 

 Nest of dry gras.ses, straw, papers, etc., placed 

 in tree, fifteen feet from the ground. Four 

 eggs, fresh. Pale bluish, faintly clouded at 

 the smaller ends with raw umber, and lined 

 with black: 1.80x.89; 1.27x.88; 1.29x.90; 

 1.29X.91. 



Set X. April 18, 1889. Camargo, Mexico. 

 Xest of twigs, grasses and rubbish, mixed 

 with mud, in small tree. Four eggs. Pale 

 bluish, three of them clouded with raw umber 

 at the smaller ends, but the fourth has the 

 ground color plain. All of them are lined 

 with burnt umber and black: 1.30x.86; 

 1.29X.85; 1.30 x.84; 1.26x.87. 



Copyright, 1890, by Frank B. Websteu. 



