great crow blackbird. 55 
aa-rirnD^- ? ra ' ns > thus assisting and plundering the 
sett lom nnst the same time. When the first European 
made Vl ' vere . formed in North America, the havoc 
"as so {.. h f e , bird8 an, l the troopials in the grain fields, 
Their ,i ! at ’ t .’ at a premium was given for their heads, 
shy an<| CStrUCtl0U wa ? eas *'y effected, as they are not 
decrease ™°!' e easily approached as their numbers 
Ratin', o 1,111 t lC evd which resulted from extermi- 
irremedial , nia,1 y .°f these birds, was as unexpected as 
bv worms e i • ' e corn an( f pastures were so devoured 
t° snare *^”1 . 1,l , 8ec f s > that the inhabitants were obliged 
had been n * • lr 1 ' U ordcr to avert a scourge which 
and a «roaf . V, °' 1 • u,, hnowu. As population increases, 
of these l, 1' lan tity of grain is cultivated, the ravages 
thev csn«o 8 3ecomc less perceptible, and the injury 
Thetr / :0m l >arati V«ly trifling" 
lone- .,mV < r<> ' v blackbird is more than sixteen inches 
angle of tL " '““ty-two in extent. The bill, from the 
'ts'colnm. ',‘ i m0D f h > ’ s one inch and three quarters, and 
the mouth the feet, is black; the roof of 
the iride« S llrr ushed with a slight osseous Carina ; 
the bird is Td Pa 6 y, ;"°' V ' The general appearance of 
bluish oni-nl Ci ’„ t le . ""hole head and neck having 
breast belli V /Sections; the interscapular region, 
steel blue • y A,' K i e V nd sniil H ev wiug-coverts, are glossy 
are glossed with connm UWP ’ an<l “ ,i,,dUn « wing-coverts, 
coverts rod tl ■ ?°l J l >t ‘ l g roen ; toe vent, inferior tail- 
parts of the “I Plai :‘, black. The uudescribed 
green, as well as” the ’ < L < jf ep black, slightly glossed with 
of assuming a boat sl„ ’ 7 110 1 ls cuneiform, capable 
nearly eight inches in ' • a “' 1 measurcs 
passing the tip of the wi n “f ‘d’” 1 - i ,nsert,on > sur ‘ 
The female is considerably 1 ve m ®hes. 
twelve and a half inches in leLtb l 1’ °, y 
and a half in extent. The b”lf from T V' "I T 
mouth , • 1 i , , U111 ’ tlon * the angle of the 
is bkek. and ‘fr, and, with the feet, 
of the m’ a u he T V arU , ° f a Stl ‘ pa ' er - V, ' U "": than those 
grade ill The head and neck above are light brown 
gradually passing into dusky towards the back, whkh| 
