Life Histories of Various Species 
203 
taining numerous little elevations of a few inches above the 
remainder of the land. The water was just deep enough to cover 
the grass on the lower parts but to leave the tops of the vegetation 
on these slight elevations still above water. This condition ob- 
tained over a strip of approximately a rod out into the pasture. 
This high water had caused a great migration of cutworms, 
earthworms, crickets, spiders, tumble bugs, ground beetles, and 
other insects into the short grass on these little knolls. From 
one of these little points containing slightly less than one square 
foot I secured thirteen earthworms. 
It was in this territory that the Grackles were feeding. Not 
only Grackles but Robins, Meadowlarks, Cowbirds, and Green 
Herons were busily feeding on these refugees. It was rather 
surprising to me to see such birds working in the shallow water 
but the flood had provided a bountiful harvest and the birds were 
making the most of it. A strong wind was blowing from the 
northeast and both grackles and robins feeding from the grove 
flew close to the ground on the outbound trip while on the re- 
turn they rose high in the air and came sailing in with the 
wind. The two movements were practically continuous and gave 
the birds the appearance of flying in a giant elipse. 
To obtain some idea of the number of trips made by the 
parents, attempts were made to count the birds returning laden 
with food. During one hour, from ten to eleven in the morning, 
53 Grackles entered the eastern half of the grove. From 12 :15 
to 1 :15 p. m. two observers, each watching half the side of the 
grove facing the river, counted a total of 217 birds returning 
from this feeding ground carrying food to the young. This is 
an average of over three to a minute and as there were sixteen 
nests with young, or a total of 32 parents feeding, each parent 
must have made about six trips per hour. 
All the nests in this colony were or similar construction. If 
in conifers they were among the short branches near the tops, 
while in the plums they were built wherever a suitable fork was 
found. The nest consisted of a foundation of small sticks, a 
body of corn husks and morning glory stems and a lining of tine 
grass, root flbers, wool, and feathers. 
A blind was placed in position at a nest seven feet from the 
ground in a plum tree on May 30 at 11 :00 a. m. At 1 :00 p. m. 
I entered the blind and found the parents somewhat nervous so 
only remained about two hours. Only the female summoned uj) 
