THE PURPLE GRACKLE. 490 



lower story, so to speak, tlieir platforms seldom being over 10 feet from the gi-ound, 

 and loosely balanced on the top of a horizontal branch. ^ 



The nests are rather loosely constructed and bulky. The materials used 

 vary greatly according to locality; the outer walls are usually composed of 

 coarse grass, weed stalks, eelgrass, or seaweed, sometimes with a foundation 

 of mud, and again without it. The inner cup of the nest is composed of simi- 

 lar but finer materials, and is generally lined with dry grass, among which 

 occasionally a few feathers, bits of paper, strings, and rags maybe scattered; in 

 fact anything suitable and readily obtained is liable to be utilized. Exteriorly 

 the nests vary from 5 to 8 inches in height, and from 7 to 9 .inches in diameter, 

 according to location. They are ordinarily about 3 inches deep by 4 inches wide 

 inside. The nests are placed at various distances from the ground, some as low 

 as 3 feet, and others in the extreme tops of trees, or on horizontal limbs from 20 

 to 30 feet up, or occasionally even higher. At Washington, District of Colum- 

 bia, the Purple Grackle begins to build, or to repair the old site, about the 

 beginning of April, and in favorable seasons full sets of eggs may be looked 

 for about the middle of this month, usually, however, not before the first week 

 in May, about which time they begin laying generally throughout their range. 

 Incubation, in which both parents assist, lasts about two weeks, and they are 

 equally solicitous in the defense of their eggs or young; the latter are able to 

 leave the nest in about eighteen days, and sometimes a second brood is raised. 

 They are fed almost entirely on insects while in the nest. 



The number of eggs to a set varies from four to six, very rarely seven, and 

 sets of five are most often found. The shell is strong, fine grained, and slightly 

 glossy. 



The ground color of the Purple Grackle's egg varies from a pale greenish 

 wliite to a light rusty brown ; they are generally blotched or streaked with irreg- 

 ular lines and dashes of various shades of dark brown, and in an occasional set 

 difl^erent tints of lavender markings are also noticeable. Only in rare instances 

 are these markings so profuse and eA^enly distributed over the entire egg as to 

 hide the ground color. They vary greatly in style.and character in difi^erent sets. 



The average measurement of eighty-five specimens is 28.53 by 20.89 milli- 

 metres, or about 1.12 by 0.82 inches. The largest egg of the series measures 

 32.76 by 23.11 millimetres, or 1.29 by 0.91 inches; the smallest, 25.65 by 20.57 

 millimetres, or 1.01 by 0.81 inches. I am aware that this does not agree with the 

 average measurements generally given for these eggs, but it is nevertheless correct. 



The type specimens. No. 23394 (PL 7, Fig. 21), from a set of six eggs taken 

 by Mr. Charies "W. Richmond on April 17, 1887; No. 24775 (PI. 7, Fig. 22), 

 from a set of five eggs, and No. 24776 (PI. 7, Fig. 23), from a set of foiir eggs, 

 both taken by Mr. Guy E. Mitchell on May 9, 1887, were all obtained near 

 Washington, District of Columbia. These eggs, as well as those figured for the 

 two subspecies, Quiscalus quiscula aglcBus and Quiscalus quiseula ceneus, represent 

 some of the diiferent styles of coloration found among the three recognized 

 races of this Grackle. 



1 Oologist, Vol. VIII, JuBe, 1891, p. 1828. 



