100 NUllTIl AMHUK'ANf DIUDS. 



ui tliis bird nMiders it oiisily roni^'iiizaldc from the otlior s|H'ci('s, wlien^ they 

 are nil ween toiit'dier. Mr. lii(lj,'\viiy i.s of tlie (t|iiiii(iii tliiil the iidtes of the 

 wliite-shuulilereil spoeies tiitfer very considenil)ly fruiii those of the two other 

 JUiU'kl)irils. 



J)r. Ileeriiiaiiii fouiid tliis a very abiiiuhiiit bird in ('alifornia. Me states 

 that durinj,' tlie winter of IS.")!', when huntinj,' in tiie inarsiicH of Siiisan 

 VaUev, he lind often, on iiearinj; a dull, rushing, roaring,' noise, found that it 

 was produeed by a single lloek of this sjjeeies, nuinboring so many thousands 

 ns to darken the sky for some distance i)y their masses. In the northern 

 part of California he met with a breed inj^-plaee of this species that occupied 

 several acres, covereil with alder-bushes and willow, and was in the innuedi- 

 ato vicinity of water. The nests, often four or five in the same bush, were 

 composed of niiul and straw, and lined with lino j^ra.sses. The ej,'ys he de- 

 scribes as dark lilue, marked with lines and spots of dark umber and a few 

 linht purple dashes. Dr. Heerniann, at different times, fell in with several 

 other breed inj> -places of this species, similarly situated, but they had all 

 been abandoned, from which lu; inferred that each year dilferent grounds 

 are resorted to Iiy these birds for the purposes of incui)ation. 



Dr. Kennerly obtained a specimen of this bird on the Colorado River, in 

 California, December, 1854. Dr. Cooper is of the opinion that it i.s, never- 

 theless, a rare s])ecies in that valley. The latter found them the most abun- 

 dant .s))ecies near San Diej^o and Los Angeles, and not rare at Santa IJarbara. 

 North of the last place they pass more into the interior, and extend up as 

 far as Klamath Lake ami Southern Oregon. 



They are to be seen in considerable ilocks even in the breeding-.sonson. 

 Their song, Dr. Cooper states, is not so h)ud and is more guttural than are 

 those of the other species. Their habits are (jtherwise very similar, and they 

 associate, in fall and winter, iu immense flocks in the interior, though often 

 also found separate. 



These birds were first obtained by Mr. Nuttall near Santa Barbara, in the 

 month of April. They were very common there, as well as at Monterey. 

 He observed no difference in their habits from tho.se of the common lled- 

 wing, except that they occurred in much larger flocks and ke])t apart from 

 that species. They were .seldom seen, except in the near sul)urlts of the 

 towns. At that time California was in the possession of Mexico, and its 

 inhabitants were largely occupied in the slaughter of wild cattle for the sake 

 of tlie hitle.s. Mr. Xuttall found these birds feeding almost e.xclusively on 

 the maggots of the flesh-flies generated in the offal thus created. They were 

 in large whirling flocks, and associated with the Molothri, the Grakles, the 

 Eed-wings, and the Yellow-headed Blackbirds. They kept up an incessant 

 chatter and a discordant, confused waride, much more harsh and guttural 

 than even the notes of the Cow r)lackl)ird. 



Two eggs of this species, obtained i>y Dr. Heermann in California, and 

 now in my cabinet, measuring an inch in length l)y. 07 of an inch in breadth, 



