Q' I.^CALUS PUKPUREUS, PITRPLE GRACKLE. 203 



K QUISOALUS PUEPUEEUS, (Bart.) Licht 

 Purple Grackle; Crow Blackbird. 



a. piirpureus. 



Gracula quiscala, LiNX., Syst. Nat. i, 1758,109; ITfiii, 103.— Osi., i, 17 -iS, 397.— Lath., 

 Ind. Oru. i, 1790, 191.— WiLS., lii, 1811, 44, pi. ■>!, {. 4. 



Chalcoplianes qmaculus, Wagl,, Syst. Av. 18^7.— Cab., Mus. Heiu. i, 1851, 196. 



Gracula purpurea, Baht., Trav. in Florida, 1791, 290. 



Quiscttlus purpureus, LiCHT.— Gray.— 'WooDn., Sitgr. Rep. 185;!, 79.— Cass., Pr. Phila. 

 Acad. 1866, 403.— RiDOW., ibid. 1869, 133.— Allen, Bull. JI. C. Z. ii, 1871, 291 

 (includes several species); iii, 187^, 178.— CouES, Key, 1872, 160, fig. 102; pi. 

 5, figs. 1, 3, 4, 5.— B. B. & R., N. A. B. ii, 1874, 214, 215, pi. 37, f. 1. 



Quiscalus versicolor, Vieill., Nouv. Diet, xxviii, 1819. 488; Gal. Ois. i, 171, pi. 108. — ,^ 

 Bp.. Obs. Wils. 1824, No. 45; Am. Orn. i, 18Aj, 45, pi. 5, f. 1 ; Syu. 182S, .54; 

 List, 1838, 28 ; Consp. i, 1850, 424.— Sw. & Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 485.— Nutt., 

 Man. i, 1832, 194.— Add., Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 35 ; v, 1839, 481 ; pi. 7 ; Syn. 1839, 

 146 ; B. Am. W, 1842, 58, pi. 221.— Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 555.— Havd., Rep. 1862, 

 170.— Tkippe, Pr. Ess. Inst, vi, 1871, 187.— Snow, B. Kans. 1873, 8. 



(?) Oriohis ludoricianus et Itudsonius, Gm., i, 1788, 387. 



" fSturyius (jniarahis, Daudin." 



Gracula bariia, Ord, Journ. Phila. Acad, i, 1818, 253. 



Quiscalus uitiiw, LicilT., Verz. Doubl. 1823, 18, No. 104 (et "falgida, LiCHT.") 



Quiscalus pmpuratus, Sw., Lardner's Cycl. 1838, 299. 



VJialcoplianes purpuratus, Cab., Mus. Heiu. 1851, 196. 



ST b. emeus. Jf 



Quiscalus wneus, RiDGW., Pr. Phila. Acadt 1869, 134 (of. Aup., pi. 7; Coue's, Key, 161). 

 Quiscalus purpureus var. wneus, B. B. &, R., N. A. B. ii, 1874, 218. 



<!. aglcBus. 



Quiscalus haritus, Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 556, pi. 32 (an aucf.). 



Quiscalus aglaiis, Bd., Am. Journ. Sci. 1366, 84.— Cass., Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 404. — 



RiDGW., ibid. 1869, 135. 

 Quiscalus purpureus yar. aglanis, CoUES, Key, 1872, 161, pi. 5, figs. 2, 6. — B. B. & R., 



N. A. B. ii, 1874, 221, pi. 37, f. 2. 

 (For other probable synouvms of this species, and names of local races, see Sw. 

 Lardner's Cycl. 299, 300, 355 ;'Cass., Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 404 et seq. ■ Allen, Bull. M. 

 C. Z. ii, 1871, 291.) 



Hab. — North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. North to Labrador, Hudson's 

 Bay, and the Saskatchewan. Breeds throughout its range. \Yinters in the Southern 

 States. Var. animus from Southern Florida. 



Lieutenant Warren's Exped'ition. — 4761, Big Nemaha; 4768, 4762, 4758, 4730, 4707, Bald 

 Island, Missouri River. 



The Crow Blackbird has lately been traced w^st to the Eocky Mount- 

 ains ; it is abundant in the eastern part of the Missouri region. It has 

 been several times accredited to Oalifornia, but the evidence remains 

 insufficient. The variety wneus is very abundant along the Eed Eiver 

 of the North, breeding in hollows of trees, and later in the season I 

 have found it far west on the Mouse Eiver, in the same latitude. 



Mr. Thomas T. Gentry sends me the following paragraph : " This 

 familiar bird reaches the latitude of Philadelphia, usually about the 

 middle of March. As I write (March 21), many small flocks may be 

 seen in various directions, fluttering and chattering among the trees, 

 ifest-building has been observed even as early as March 13 ; but then 

 only in sheltered situations, such as the south slopes of a hill. Here 

 the nests are built chiefly in the branches of coniferous trees. Usually, 

 but one brood is reared each season, but I have observed instances of ;! 

 second brood, when the season has been unusually propitious. In such 

 cases the first batch of young appeared in April, the other in July. 

 Though sometimes annoying to the agriculturist by its mischief in the 

 corn-fields, this bird has nevertheless some good qualities recommend- 



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