1-14 
OKXITH()L( )OLST 
[Vol. 7-No. IS 
PurpleGrackle {Quismlns PurpureitK). 
commonly known as ‘‘Crow Blackbird.” 
Dnriufif a visit to Phnn Island, the home 
of the Osprey, it occurred to us that the 
Ci'ow Blackbird was not at all particular 
where its nest was placed. On this island 
there are immense (juantities of this bird 
and their nests were in every conceivable 
position. Pnder every Fish Hawk’s nest 
that were in trees, thei’e were from one to 
five or six nests of the Crow Blackbird. 
Wherever the Osprey’s nest had rotted off 
the top of the pepperidg'e tree it left a 
cavity in the to]5 of the trunk into which 
this Blackbird ])laced its nest. They were 
also very plenty in the trees alone and 
also in the bushes within two feet of the 
"round. On the main land we have found 
them sincrly on maples by the roadside: 
also saddled on the limbs of immense 
elms, in the to})most branches: also in 
Norway spruces, both small and lar"e. 
Wherever circumstances favor it they 
breed in colonies. We know of one aged 
white pine that contains from fifty to one 
hundred nests each year, making it a])pear 
like an immense bee-hive, as the birds 
were continually flying to and fi-om the 
tree. During a recent visit (IMay 17) to 
the home of Willis P. Hazard, of West¬ 
chester. I’a.. where the Crow Blackbirds 
were breeding very j)lentifullv in the long, 
horizontal branches of the white ]>ines on 
the lawn. There was nothing unusual in 
this, but we noticed in the woodbine that 
twined around the ])iaza ])osts. a large 
nest, unusual for such ]iosition. It was 
just out of reach, but a step-ladder enabled 
us to look into the nest, which was filled 
with young Crow Blackbirds. The fa7nily 
and visitoi's were coTitinually ])assing tin¬ 
der this nest. 
CoRRECTio.x. — On page 1111. Vol. VH. No. 
17. J. G. Coojter sliould read M'illiam .\. 
Coo})er. No one regrets such mistakes as 
much as we do. but occasionally MSS comes 
to us that is very difficult for us or the 
jtrinter to deciplier. 
Woodcock and Black-duck. — Passing 
through an old pasture Thursday, ^lay 4. 
I started up a Woodcock from a small 
thicket, which was immediately followed 
by four more, an old bird and four young, 
tlie latter so large as scarcely to be distin¬ 
guished from the mother bird, excejit that 
she fiaiiped her wings as if flying with 
difficulty and made a sort of whining cry. 
I don’t think I ever saw young of that 
species so early before and veiw mature— 
eggs must have been laid exceedingly 
early, perhaps before April, though I do 
not know how long time is required for 
their incubation. One of niy neighbors, 
sitting by a window, had his attention 
called to a brood of young ducks running 
across the street. It was an old Black- 
duck and her young. He saw them enter 
a cow-yard, and in one corner she called 
her brood under her wings and covered 
them. As he went near she Hew some fif¬ 
teen rods and watched his movements, 
quacking her disjileasure as he proceeded 
to capture her young ones. He secured 
ten of them, all the brood but two. After 
he had examined all he cared to he set 
them at liberty, and together they started 
on a run through ^fain street, continuing 
foi forty I'ods before they turneil aside, a 
distance which they accomjilished inside 
of five minutes: for the little things could 
run like squirrels. This ocuurred on the 
.5th of ^fay. and imjfiies that the eggs 
must have been laid much earlier than I 
supjiosed was customary with the species. 
There was no water near and they seemed 
traveling from one creek overland to 
another, nearly a half mile away. — J. .V. 
(Uark. Old Satfbronk, (bum. 
SirviMER OR M’ood Dui'k. — Mr. Edwin 
She])])ard. tlie eminent ornithological ar 
tist. is engaged on a plate of the above 
duck, oi- a family of them, which is to be 
lithogra])he<l and hand colored, and in 
tended for framing. In due time it will 
bp offered at a moderate jirice through our 
advertising columns. 
