North American Birds Ec;gs. 



243 



ill soiith- 



r V 



ir.luish white] 



llUuish ^roc'ii 



508. Bullock Oriole. Icterus hulh>cki. 



RiuiKe. — Nortli Americii, west of the Tlains ami I'nim Britisli Culuml 

 ward, winteriiif;: in Mexico. 



This handsome species is as abundiint in tlie wi'st as the 

 ISaltiniore Oriole is in the east, and lireeds throiif;hout its 

 United States range. Tlieir nests are similarly made and 

 in similar locations, and the e,u;t;s are hardly distinguish- 

 able I'rom those of the preceding;, hut the fjround ccdor is 

 generally of a pale hlnish white tint and the markings are 

 usually finer, the tines running around tlie eggs and often 

 making a very hantlsome wreath ahoid the large end. Size 

 «d' eggs, .94 X i)2. 



509. Ru8ty Blackbird. SnilcntphiKjux raroliiius. 



Ivange. — North America east of the Plains, breeding from northern New Eng- 

 land and the Adirondacks northward; winters in southern United States. 



Hut few of these birds breed within our borders, the ma- 

 jority (d'them passing on to the interior of Canaihi. They 

 generally nest in pairs, or at the most three or four pairs in 

 a locality, building their large substantial nests of moss, 

 twigs and grass, lineil with tine green grass; this structure 

 is situated in bushes or low trees in swampy places and at 

 from .') to L'O feet from the ground. The eggs are laid in 

 May or June; they vary from three to five in number, of a 

 pale bluish green color, spotted, blotched and clouded with 

 shades of brown and gray. Size .'.Ni x .71. 



5 10. Brewer Blackbird. Si-iihc<tph(iijiis njaiutrciiliiiUi^. 



Range.— North America west of the Plains, and from British Cokiinbia antl 

 Saskatchewan southward. 



This western representative of the preceding is (jf about 

 the same size (U) inches long), but differs in having a 

 purplish head and greenish bhud'; body. They nest abund- 

 antly throughout their range either in bushes or trees at 

 low elevations or upon the ground; the nests are made of 

 sticks, rootlets and grasses, lined with hnergrass and moss, 

 and the eggs, which are very variable, are dull whitish, 

 clouded and blotched with brownish and streaked with 

 blackish. Size 1. 00 x .75. 



5 11. Purple Crackle. Quimnhis i/uifirKla. 



Range. — Eastern United States from the tJulf to ^[assachusetts 

 the Gulf. 



This species, which is commonly known as t^row Black- 

 bird, nests in trees or bushes anywhere in its range, and on 

 the coast frequently constructs its nests among the large 

 sticks of Osprey nests. Large pines appear to lie favorite 

 sites for them to locate their large nests of twigs, weeds, 

 grass and trash. They are placed at any elevation from 

 nearly <in the gri)und to 50 feet above it. The eggs range 

 from three to hve and are greenish white, splashed, spotted 

 and scrawled with various shades of brown and grav, and 

 (Dull tirccnisli white ] -jvith streaks of black. Size 1.10 x .80. The nesting 'habits 

 and eggs of the subspecies of this Urackle do not differ in any particular. Like 

 those of this variety the eggs show an endless number of patterns of markings. 



I Dull white. J 



winters a font; 





/^ 



