PURPLE GRAKLE 



45 



thence they issue, in all directions, and with as much confidence, to 

 make their daily depredations among the surrounding fields, as if 

 the whole were intended for their use alone. Their chief atten- 

 tion, however, is directed to the Indian corn in all its progressive 

 stages. As soon as the infant blade of this grain begins to make 

 its appearance above ground, the Grakles hail the welcome signal 

 with screams of peculiar satisfaction, and without waiting for a for- 

 mal invitation from the proprietor, descend on the fields and begin 

 to pull up and regale themselves on the seed, scattering the green 

 blades around. While thus eagerly employed, the vengeance of 

 the gun sometimes overtakes them; but these disasters are soon 

 forgotten, and those 



' who live to get away, 



Return to steal, another day.' 



About the beginning of August when the young ears are in their 

 milky state, they are attacked with redoubled eagerness by the 

 Grakles and Red-wings, in formidable and combined bodies. They 

 descend like a blackening, sweeping tempest on the corn, dig off 

 the external covering of twelve or fifteen coats of leaves, as dexte- 

 rously as if done by the hand of man, and having laid bare the ear 

 leave little behind to the farmer but the cobs, and shrivelled skins 

 that contained their favorite fare. I have seen fields of corn of 

 many acres, where more than one half was thus ruined. Indeed 

 the farmers in the immediate vicinity of the rivers Delaware and 

 Schuylkill, generally allow one-fourth of this crop to the Blackbirds, 

 among whom our Grakle comes in for his full share. During these 

 depredations, the gun is making great liavock among their num- 

 bers, which has no other effect on the survivors than to send them 

 to another field, or to another part of the same field. This system of 

 plunder and of retaliation continues until November, when towards 

 the middle of that month they begin to sheer off towards the south. 



VOL. III. M 



