ECOLOGY OF ISLE ROYALE. 363 



tion. The people at the club-house reported that large numbers of 

 Eed-winged Blackbirds came to the island in the spring. 



About fifty specimens in all y^-eve procured, which proved to be fortif. 

 None were in the black plumage, and the scarlet shoulder patches were 

 just showing through the pin feathers of those taken during August. A 

 young male taken on September 16 was just about half moulted. The un- 

 der-parts, except down the breast bone, Imve black feathers edged with 

 brown ; the central line and feathers covering the abdomen are still un- 

 moulted and are fuscous with whitish borders. .The head, throat and nape 

 also unmoulted, as are the first four primaries. The next five are 

 new, and the remainder old. Nearly all the secondaries are new, 

 while the tertiaries are still unchanged. Only the central tail 

 feathers have been moulted. The specimen thus presents a mottled 

 appearance, glossy black alternating with brownish fuscous, the 

 cinnamon tipped secondaries and back feathers adding to the 

 appearance. The epaulets are a rich orange-brown, a few, par- 

 ticularly at the bend of the wing, being tipped with black. The 

 plumage of the entire series varied greatly, according to the sex, stage 

 of moult, and also individual variation. Some, males and females, 

 have a decided pinkish tinge to the throat while others have a rich 

 yellow sometimes grading into orange. As a rule the first four prim- 

 aries seem to be the last feathers on the body to moult. A few adults 

 taken on August 20 have moulted entirely, but the majority, especially 

 the young, bad just started to moult at this date. Stomach examina- 

 tions showed the food to consist largely of grasshoppers, which were 

 very plentiful at the clearing. These birds were larger than the aver- 

 age male which, as a rule, was considerably larger than the female. 



The birds usually came in flocks numbering from a dozen to fifty or 

 more. They came to the first clearing quite regularly throughout August, 

 usually frequenting the brushy area, but extending out into the grassy 

 meadow in pursuit of the grasshoppers. When shot into, the remnants 

 of the flock would often wheel several times around the gunner's head, 

 allowing themselves to be fired at repeatedly before leaving. These 

 birds migrated almost entirely by day and toward dusk were often 

 seen preparing to roost in a alder thicket at the first clearing. That the 

 birds actually remained there for the night was several times demon- 

 strated when thej' were driven from their retreat long after night fall. 



56. Eupltagus carolimis (509). Rusty Blackbird. 



Range : Eastern North America, west to Alaska and the Plains. 

 Breeds from northern New England, Northern New York, and North- 

 ern Michigan northward. Accidental in lower California. 



Stations : Washington Harbor, clearing and bu,rned area, I '04. 



Migration : September 15 on. 



Large flocks of Rusty Grackles appeared at the clearings on Septem- 

 ber 15 and were abundant the rest of the time I 'remained on the island. 

 Males and females were in about equal proportion, and while the sexes 

 were often found together in the same flock, there appeared to be 

 flocks composed wholly of one sex. Like so many of the other migrants, 

 they were seldom found out of a clearing, where they crammed tliem- 

 selves full of grasshoppers. As a rule the birds were more wary than 

 the Northern Redwing, and were difiicult of approach when in the open, 



