602 BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY. 



AGEL^US PHCENICEUS, (Linn.) Vieill. 



Eedwinged Blackbird. 



Although iDliabiting the country at large, at least as far northwest as 

 the region of the Saskatchewan, the Marsh Blackbird is necessarily 

 somewhat localized in the details of its distribution, owing to the re- 

 quirements of its economy. It is certainly not a conspicuous feature of 

 the region surveyed, the greater portion of which is unsuited to its 

 wants. Even at Pembina it was not the leading Blackbird, being out- 

 numbered both by the Yellowheads and Brewer's. I find in my note- 

 books no record of observation respecting it except in this locality, but 

 this may have been my fault of neglecting to note the occurrence of so 

 common a species at other points. 



List of specimens. 



XANTHOCEPHALUS ICTEROCEPHALTJS, {Bp.) Bd. 



Yellow- HEADED Blackbird. 



i In the breeding- season, the Yellow-headed Blackbird gathers in colo- 

 Inies on some marshy spot. I have observed it at this period in various 

 portions of the West, from IS^orthern Dakota to New Mexico, always 

 noting its preference at this time for watery localities, however gener- 

 ally it may disperse over the country at other seasons. Its general 

 distribution and migrations are given in my account of the species in 

 the ''American Naturalist" (v. 1871, p. 195) and "Birds of the North- 

 west" (p. 188). It is stated by Eichardson to be abundant in the Fur 

 lOountries to about oBo north, reaching the Saskatchewan region by the 

 20th of May. 



At Pembina it was breeding abundantly in the prairie sloughs, 

 together with great numbers of Black Terns and a few Eedwings. In 

 one of the sloughs where I spent most of the day wading about, some- 

 times up to my waist and in some spots considerably deeper (as I was 

 discouraged to find on getting into them), a large number of nests were 

 found, mostly containing nestlings, but a few with eggs. This the last 

 week of June. The nests were built much like those of the Long-billed 

 pMarsh Wren, as far as the situation goes, being fixed to a tuft of reeds or 

 bunch of tall rank marsh-grass, some stems of which pass through the 

 substance. They were placed at varying elevations, but always far 

 enough above the water to be out of danger of inundation. The nest 



