208 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



ri])oiiiiig cnrn, and only loss destructive because less numerous. Tt appears 

 to lie ail abundant species in all tiie settled portiims of the western lei^ion, 

 extending to the eastward as far as Wisconsin, and even to Soutiicastern Illi- 

 nois, Olio si)eeiinoii having been obtained in Wi.s(!onsin by Mr. Kuinlien, and 

 (itlicrs in AVabash (.'o., 111., l>y Mr. ilidgway. 



Til tlie suniniei', according to ]\Jr. Kidgway, it retires to the ccilar and 

 pinon mountains to lirecul, at that time .sehhini visiting the river valley. 

 In the winter it resorts in large Hocks to the vicinity of corrals and liarn- 

 yanls, wliere it becomes very tame and familiar. On tiie od of June he 

 met with the breeding-ground (jf a colony of these birds, in a grove of 

 ce<lars f)ii the side of a canon, in tiie mountains, near Pyramid Lake. 

 Nearly every tree contained a nest, and several had two or three. Each 

 nest was sad<lled on a horizontal branch, generally in a thick tuft of foliage, 

 and well conceakHl. The majority of the.se nests contained young, and 

 when these wei distnrlied the parents Hew about the heads of tiie in- 

 truders, uttering a soft r/inrk. The ma.ximum number of eggs or young 

 was si.\-, the usual numlier four or live. In notes and manners it seemed 

 to be ail exact counterpart of tlie C'. /cmii/incioi. 



Dr. Siickley found these birds (piite almndant at Fort Dalles, but west of 

 the Cascade Mountains tliey were (piite rare. At Fort Dalles it is a winter 

 resident, where, in the cold weather, it may frc(pieutly be found in flocks in 

 the vicinity of barn-yards and stal)les. Dr. Coojier .also obtained specimens 

 of tliis (irakh; at Vancouver, and regards it as a constant resident on the 

 Columbia Itiver. He saw none at Fuget Sound. In their notes and iiabits 

 lie was not able to trace any diiference from the liusty IJlackliird of the 

 Atlantic State.?. In winter they kcipt about the staliles in Ihjcks of fifties or 

 more, and on M'arin days tlcjw about among the tree-tops, in company with 

 the Kedwings, .-iinging a iiarsli but ])lea,sant chorus for hours. 



Dr. ('ooj)er states it to be an almndant s])ecies everywhere throughout 

 California, except in the dense forests, and resident throughout the year. 

 They fre(pieiit jiastnres and follow cattle in the luaiiiier of the Molothrns. 

 Tliey as.sociate with the other Blackbirds, and are fond of feeding and bath- 

 ing along the edges of streams. They have not much song, but tiie iioi.se 

 made liy a large Hock, as tliev sit sunning themselves in early spring, is .said 

 to be (piite pleasing. In tliis ciioriis the Jiedwings fre(piently assist. At 

 Santa Cruz he found tliem more familiar than elsewhere. They freiiuented 

 tlie yards about houses and stables, building in the trees of the gardens, and 

 collecting (hiily, after their hunger was .satisfied, on the roofs or on neighbor- 

 ing trees, to sing, for an liour or two, their songs of thanks. He lias seen a 

 ]>air of thf'S(! birds jmrsue and cU-ive away a large hawk threatening some 

 tame pigeons. 



This species has an extended distribution, having been met with by Mr. 

 Kennicott as far north as Fembina, and being also abundant as far south as 

 Northern Mexico. In the Boundary Survey si)ecimens were procured at 



