78 



CRACKLES, OR BLACKBIRDS, AND WRENS. 



qualities recommending it to favor. It is obviously of great service 

 in the destruction of insects. But it has one very bad trait, per- 

 haps not generally known. Like the Crow, a not distant relative, 

 it is fond of birds' eggs and tender nestlings, and it destroys a 

 great many, particularly Robins. Coward-like, it lurks about the 

 Robins' vicinity until the parents are away, when it pounces on the 

 nest, seizes an egg or a young one, and hastily retreats. But 

 wary and vigilant as it is, sometimes it is caught in the act, and 

 forced to seek safety by rapid flight from the impetuous attacks 

 of the owners." 



Rusty Grackle, or Blackbird. (Scolecophagusferrugineus.) 



Fig. 6. 



This bird ranges throughout the eastern provinces of North 

 America ; is found in Kansas, Nebraska, and Dakota, and extends its 

 northwestern range to Alaska and throughout British America. It 

 winters in the Southern States, coming north gradually, arriving 

 in Northern New York in April, breeding in Canada and through- 

 out the British Possessions in America, and in Maine and New 

 Hampshire. It frequents low, marshy grounds, building its nest 

 in the low alders and bushes indigenous to such places, and begins 

 to lay about the first of June, raising yearly but one brood. The 

 nest is constructed of twigs and leaves of grass, mixed with mud, 

 woven into a fine circular structure, and lined with fine leaves. 

 The eggs are bluish-white, sometimes resembling the bloom upon 

 grasses, covered with fine blotches and spots of light brown, in 

 size about 1.04 by .76 of an inch. This bird delights in the com- 

 pany of cattle, frequenting the barnyard as well as pasture? for 

 that purpose. It feeds upon aquatic insects, small snails, grass- 

 hoppers, and grubs of old plowed lands. The male assists in incu- 

 bation, and when disturbed, with a warning croak seeks to divert 

 the attention of the intruder. During the mating season it indulges 

 in a low song, but its ordinary call is a sort of cheek-cke-week, 

 shared by male and female alike. 



Cowpen-bird — Cow-bird— Cow-blackbird— Cowpen Bunting. 



thrus fiecoris.') 



Fig. 7. 



(Molo- 



Among the advanced thinkers of the bird world, the Cowpen- 

 bird occupies the most conspicuous place. The longest haired 

 reformer can feel no greater indifference to the conjugal relations 

 or less regard for his offspring than this bird. The courtship is 

 of the briefest description. Surrounded by a bevy of demure 

 maidens, the male mounts some fence or tree, and ruffling his 

 feathers to the utmost, pours out cluk-see-e, not without consider- 

 able melody. As they build no nests, and farm out the rearing of 

 their young, their family relations are anything but tender, and 

 they are arrant polygamists. When the female is ready to lay, 

 she becomes greatly disquieted, ceases her search for food, sepa- 

 rates herself from her companions, and commences a careful re- 

 connoiter. Anxiously and in utter silence, she flits from thicket to 

 thicket, peering here and there until a nest, with the owner not at 

 home, is found, when she disappears for a few moments. When 

 her labor is performed, she emerges perfectly jubilant, ruffling 

 and adjusting her plumage, and with many a merry chuckle re- 

 joins her companions. From her peculiar manner of dropping 

 her eggs, the true number has never been fully determined. It is 

 supposed that but one is laid in the same nest by the same bird, 

 but nests have been found with two, three, and more of the Cow- 

 pen's eggs in them. These eggs are rounded oval, about .85 by 

 .67 of an inch, the ground color white, though sometimes so 

 blotched over with fine dottings of purple as to be concealed. 

 They are usually larger than those of the bird whose nest is used, 

 and hatch from two to four days sooner. Among the birds thus im- 



posed upon are the Towhee, Black and White Creeper, and Yellow 

 Summer Bird. The latter bird has been known to build a new 

 nest upon the old one when thus defiled, sometimes making a tnird 

 story, and effectually destroying the foreign eggs in the apartments 

 below. The Cowpen sometimes attempts to use the nest of the 

 Cat-bird, but rarely with success. When the young are hatched, 

 the foster parents never desert their charge, but work with unceas- 

 ing activity to feed the large and hungry mouths constantly ap- 

 pealing to them. The range of the Cowpen is very extensive, 

 being found in nearly every State and Territory of the Union. Its 

 food consists of seed, worms, and insects. Its name is derived 

 from the great fondness of the bird for domestic animals, frequent- 

 ing barnyards, scratching the ordure collected there, and feeding 

 upon the numerous animal parasites. They frequently rest upon 

 the backs of cows and horses, and undoubtedly impart an agree- 

 able sensation by the scratching of their claws. 



Great Carolina Wren. {7'kryothorus ludovicianus.) 

 Fig. 8. 



The range of this bird is restricted to the Eastern United States, 

 south of New England, extending west to Kansas and New Mexico. 

 It is sufficiently hardy to winter in the Middle States, and is com- 

 mon around Washington throughout the year. It raises two 

 broods every season. Its nest is built without much regard to 

 situation ; any odd nook, loose board, or knot-hole in an out-house, 

 or clump of bushes being acceptable. The nest is composed of a 

 mass of fibrous material, usually grass, as being more easily ob- 

 tained, resembles a ball somewhat, and has a side entrance. In 

 this habitation five or six eggs are deposited. They are white, 

 thickly and evenly dotted with rufous spots, and measuring about 

 .70 by .58. When the young are hatched, the parents evince the 

 utmost anxiety and watchfulness until they are old enough to care 

 for themselves, which is in three or four days. They are usually 

 very shy, hiding with the greatest pertinacity, and yet, like their 

 kind, very inquisitive of all intruders on their haunts, scolding 

 and chattering at them in true billingsgate. Their song, however, 

 is strong, clear, and very musical, consisting of a rapid succession 

 of whistling notes, delivered with great energy and nerve, and 

 can be heard at a great distance. 



Northern House Wren— Wood Wren. {Troglodytes aidon.) 



Fig. 9. 



There are several varieties of the species known as House Wrens. 

 The figure on this plate represents the northerly bred bird. " One 

 can scarcely pass a thicket," says Maynard, " throughout the 

 entire extent of Florida, from Key West to the northern limits of 

 the State, whether on the borders of the hummock or in the vast 

 pine barrens, without exciting the ire of the irascible House Wrens. 

 They will suddenly start up at the feet of the pedestrian, and, 

 alighting on a log or bush, scold him angrily; but if the birds 

 think they are in danger, will quickly disappear; then it re- 

 quires rapid and thorough beating to make them rise. There are 

 many thickets on the mainland which are so impenetrable that 

 birds are perfectly safe from intruders ; yet on the Keys they are 

 particularly favored in this respect, for there the various species of 

 cacti form an excellent cover for them. These plants are armed 

 with many long pines, which present a formidable barrier against 

 the invasion of man or any large animal. Thus, in Florida, we 

 find this Wren keeping apart from mankind and his ways ; but in 

 New England, they usually pursue a different course. Here they 

 associate with human beings, building their nests in boxes erected 

 for them, and even if these tiny edifices are placed in close prox- 

 imity to the busy thoroughfares, the birds may be seen perched on 

 their roofs, singing their uncouth melodies. The House Wren 



