AVES— CROW BLACKBIRD. 489 



lions. As soon as the blade of corn begins lo make its appearance, the 

 crow blackbirds hail it with screams of satisfaction, and descend on the 

 fields, and begin to pull up and regale themselves on the seeds, scattering 

 the green blades around. While thus eagerly employed, the vengeance of 

 the gun sometimes overtakes them ; but those 



" who live to get away, 



Return to steal another day." 



In the early times of New England, it was customary, in some towns, to 

 require each inhabitant to kill a certain number of these birds yearly, a 

 fine being imposed upon such as did not destroy and exhibit the requisite 

 number. 



When the young ears are in a milky state, they are attacked with redoubled 

 eagerness by the grakles and red-wings. They descend on the corn like 

 a blackening and sweeping tempest ; dig off the external covering of the 

 leaves, and having laid bare the ear, leave little behind to the farmer but the 

 cobs and shrivelled skins. Whole acres of corn have been thus more than 

 half ruined. During these depredations, the gun makes great havoc among 

 them, Vvrhich has no other effect than to send the survivors to another field. 

 This system of plunder and retaliation continues till November, when they 

 sheer off to the south, where they collect and darken the air with their 

 numbers, which sometimes amount to a hundred thousand. They rise from 

 the fields with a noise like thunder, and descend on the roads and fences ; 

 and when they rise and cover the high timbered trees, then destitute of 

 leaves, they produce a most singular and striking effect; the whole trees 

 seeming as if hung in mourning, their notes and screams, meanwhile, re- 

 sembling the sound of a distant cataract, but in more musical cadence, 

 swelling and dying away on the ear, according to the fluctuation of the 

 breeze. 



These birds are called by the farmers croiv blackbirds, and are universally 

 dreaded and detested. But if they do destroy the corn, they do nearly as 

 much good as evil, by devouring numbers of noxious worms, grubs, and 

 caterpillars, that infest the fields, which would, if not destroyed, desolate 

 the country ! The purple grakle is easily tamed, and sings in confinement. 

 They have been taught to articulate several words. These birds are allowed 

 by the fish-hawks to build in the interstices of his nest, where they all hatch 

 their young, and live together in perfect harmony. 



It is twelve inches long ; on a slight view, it appears wholly black, but 

 placed near, it appears of a rich, glossy steel blue, violet and green. The 

 bill is m.ore than an inch long, the upper mandible being very sharp. The 

 female is of a sooty brown color. 



62 



