134 
OUR HOME BIRDS. 
daily depredations among the surrounding fields as 
if the whole were intended for their use alone. Their 
chief attention, however, is directed to the Indian 
corn in all its progressive stages. As soon as the in- 
fant blade of this grain begins to make its appear- 
ance above ground, the grakles hail the welcome 
signal with screams of peculiar satisfaction, and, 
without waiting for a formal invitation from the pro- 
prietor, 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 dis- 
asters are soon forgotten, and 
Those who live to get away 
Return to steal another day. 
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 dexterously 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. 
“ 1 I have seen fields of corn of many acres where 
