RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 283 



tion it extends its migrations to the interior of the Fur Countries, 

 reaching the Saskatchewan about the 20th of May. 



We should like to see him here, his yellow head making a bright 

 spot among the sombre-plumaged Cowbirds and Grackles. 



Genus AGELAIUS Vieillot. 

 AGELAIUS PHCENICEUS (Linn.). 



204. Red-winged Blackbird. (498) 



Mode : — Uniform lustrous black ; lesser wing coverts, scarlet, broadly, 

 bordered by brownish-yellow or brownish-white, the middle row of coverts 

 being entirely of this color, and sometimes the greater row likewise are similar, 

 producing a patch on the wing nearly as large as the red one. Occasionally 

 there are traces of red on the edge of the wing and below. Female : — Smaller, 

 under 8 ; everywhere streaked ; above, blackish-brown with pale streaks, 

 inclining on the head to form median and superciliary stripes ; below, whitish, 

 with very many sharp dusky streaks ; the sides of the head, throat and the 

 bend of the wing, tinged with reddish or fulvous. The young mode at first like 

 the female, but larger ; apt to have a general buffy or fulvous suffusion, and 

 bright bay edgings of the feathers of the back, wings and tail, and soon 

 showing black patches. Length, 8-9 ; wing, 44-5 ; tail, 3^-4. 



Hab. — North America in general, from Great Slave Lake south to Costa 

 Rica. 



Nest, large for the side of the bird, composed of rushes and sedges loosely 

 put together and lined with grass and a few horse-hairs, usually fastened to the 

 bulrushes, sometimes placed in a bush or tussock of grass near the ground. 



Eggs, four or five, pale blue, curiously marked with brown. 



This species is generally distributed and breeds in suitable places 

 throughout the Province. It is very common near Hamilton, breed- 

 ing abundantly in the Dundas marsh, and in the reedy inlets all 

 around the shores of Hamilton Bay. As soon as the young broods 

 are able to fly, old and young congregate in flocks, frequenting the 

 stubble fields and moist meadows by day, and roosting at night 

 among the reeds in the marsh. As the season advances the numbers 

 are increased by others arriving from the north, and during October 

 very large flocks are observed in the places they frequent. Towards 

 the end of that month, if the weather gets cold, they all move off to 

 the south. None have been observed here during the winter. 



This species has a wide distribution, being found from Texas and 

 Plorida, as far north as 50° on the Atlantic coast, and 57° in the 

 west, and breeding throughout its range. It is said also to occur on 

 the Pacific slope, where several closely allied species are more or less 

 common. 



