PURPLE GRAKLE. 
22 ',] 
with others of a fainter tinge. They rarely produce more than 
one brood in a season. 
The trees where these birds build are often at no great dis- 
tance from the farm-house, and overlook the jilantations. From 
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 
attention, however, is directed to the Indian corn in all its pro- 
gressive stages. As soon as the infant blade of this grain begins 
to make its appearance above ground, the Grakles hail the wel- 
come signal with screams of peculiar satisfaction; and without 
waiting for a formal 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, anotlier day.’ 
About the beginning of August, wh(^ 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 olf 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 favourite fare. 
I have seen fields of corn of many acres, where more than one 
half was thus ruined. Indeed the farmers in the immediate vi- 
cinity of the rivers Delaware and Schuylkill, generally allow 
one-fourth of this crop tq the Blackbirds, among whom our 
Grakle comes in for his full share. During these depredations, 
the gun is making great havock among their numbers, which 
has no other effect on the survivors than to send them to anoth- 
er field, or to another part of the same field. This system of 
plunder and of retaliation continues until November, when to- 
