38 



THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



while in marshes, in the near vi- 

 cinity you will not find a single 

 bird. All the notes on this bird 

 that I have, were taken in a larg-e 

 swamp, which is a mile long- and 

 three-fourths broad, and is sit- 

 uated on the outskirts of Perry, 

 Iowa. The water is one to five 

 feet deep over the whole marsh, 

 and rushes are to be found every- 

 where. They grow five to six 

 feet above the surface of the water. 

 The birds go into the surround- 

 ing pastures and cornfields to feed. 

 In no other place near here do I 

 know of this spacies having b^en 

 found, while in this one marsh 

 there are probably thousands. "(J, 

 Eugene Law. ) "Common in 

 spring and fall in company with 

 the Red-winged Blackbirds and a 

 few are seen occasionally during 

 the summer but I have never 

 found them nesting in Lyon Co," 

 (C. R. Ball. ) "Abundant sum- 

 mer resident in Buena Vista Co., 

 Found during the nesting season 

 in the tall rushes and canebrakes 

 of our sloughs. Have known 

 them to build their nests in but 

 two species of plants, one the cane 

 brakes, the other round green 

 rushes; both growing in the water. 

 The nests are often bulky affairs, 

 fastened from a few inches to 

 several feet above the water; 

 are composed mostly of grass, and 

 partly of decaying vegetation. 

 There is very little mud in their 

 construction. The grass used for 

 lining is flat, wide blades, finer 

 than that used for the outside. 



Some of the nests would measure 

 nearly a foot from top to bottom 

 and perhaps four to six inches 

 across. Others are made no larg- 

 er than necessary. While the nests 

 would vary greatly in outside 

 measurements, they would pre- 

 sent very little variation on the 

 inside. The eggs are 3 to 5, pos- 

 sibly 6. They are of a pede blue 

 ground color, and are thickly 

 spotted with different shades of 

 brown, thus differing radically 

 from the other blackbird's eggs. 

 They approach nearer the color 

 of the Cowbird's eggs. Their song 

 is not unplesant, and may be 

 heard almost any da}- during the 

 nesting season, but I cannot de- 

 scribe it. From my note book I 

 see that I have taken egg^s on the 

 following dates: June 1, 1889. 

 May 21, 1890. June 19, 1890. May 

 31, and June 7, 1891. From my 

 data book I copy the following; 

 June 12, '91 4 eggs, fresh. Nest 

 composed of different kinds of 

 grass. Situated in a bunch of 

 round, green rushes, in a pond. 

 This species is benefical to the 

 farmer as they destroy many nox - 

 ious insects which the}^ obtain by 

 following in the furrow behind 

 the plow. Farmers in this local- 

 ity especially the old settlers are 

 prejudiced against all the black- 

 birds because in early days these 

 birds often took the corn when it 

 was just coming up. But of late 

 years when food has been plenty 

 they have not disturbed the corn 

 to any extent. "(Jno. V. Crone.) 



