172 



Missouri westward. Dr. Agersborg recorded it as a common summer 

 resident at Vermillion, in southeastern Dakota. It is common in west- 

 ern Kansas, passing eastward even to Manhattan, where, in 18S3, the 

 first was seen May 5. In middle Texas it ranges east a little beyond 

 the center of the State. Mr. Lloyd states that it is a tolerably common 

 summer resident in Concho and Tom Green Counties, Tex., "especially 

 on the main streams." He says : u The ordinary date of arrival is April 

 15 to 20, the birds becoming common about April 24. The females 

 are very retiring. The males are seen with the family as late as Sep- 

 tember 30. Breeds on the top branches of the mesquite." In southern 

 Texas it ranges farther east. It is an abundant summer resident at 

 Laredo (Butcher). In the valley of the Lower Eio Grande it is a com- 

 mon summer resident (Merrill). In the spring of 1884 it was seen at 

 Mason, Tex., April 7, and San Angelo April 29, when the first male 

 was noted ; the first female came May 1, and by May 3 the species was 

 common. This Oriole has been found at Gainesville, Tex., where, in 

 1876, the first appeared April 29. It winters in Mexico and breeds 

 throughout all its United States range north to British America. At 

 San Angelo it was found breeding from May 15 to June 1, with six 

 eggs in a clutch. 



In the fall of 1884 the last Bullock's Oriole was seen at San Angelo, 

 Tex., August 3L. The preceding year it had been noted much later, 

 the last female being seen September 14 and the last male October 14. 



In the spring of 1885 the first was seen at San Antonio, Tex., April 

 11, and at Mason, Tex., April 9. They were common at Mason April 16. 



509. Scolecophagus carolinus (Miill.). [273.] Busty Blackbird. 



A common migrant through the Mississippi Valley as far w r est as the 

 Plains, where it is principally replaced by Brewer's Blackbird ; breeds 

 from Manitoba northward j dispersed in winter over the Southern 

 States from southern Illinois and Kansas southward. In the winter of 

 1882-'83 its range extended north to Saint Louis. Dr. Coues, in his 

 "Birds of the Northwest," gives some interesting facts concerning the 

 migrations of these two species. He says: " During the breeding sea- 

 son their habitats are entirely separate, but they overlap during the 

 fall migration, if not also in winter. In the east, the Busty Grackle 

 breeds from northern New England (and perhaps farther south in mount- 

 ains) northward, throughout a great part of the British possessions, 

 from Labrador entirely across to Alaska. Now to take an intermediate 

 point, say Fort Pembina, on the Red Kiver, the extreme northeast 

 coiner of Dakota. Here, in the spring and summer, the Busty Grackle 

 is not known, while Brewer's Blackbird occurs in great abundance, 

 breeding. In the fall, however, the Rusty Grackle enters Dakota from 

 the north on its migration and mixes with the other species" (pp. 198-199). 

 Now if, as Dr. Coiies states, the Rusty Crackle does not occur in north, 

 eastern Dakota in spring, it would be interesting to know by what 

 course the representatives of this species — which according to Prof. 



