Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-05-25

uaTk Thys! Iou survey tue ,b'o.n.SS W..
your glass and note the sleek, irridescent
plumage of the male and the sooty, Chimney
sweep appearance Of the other sex and the Gu
rosily lurking,ln their small, yellow eyes. How
the luster of his dress increases as you ex-
anime II more closely, not black merely, but
green, coppery, violet hued That other bird
Of feather, the Mormon parasite, the cow
bird is there with his three demure little
females by his side.
When the grackle tries 10 sing, he elevates
his wings aud feathers, stretches his neck,
and after other minor preparations, produces
drunken sort OF cackle, something ike
Qqluseek. If disturbed or excited he confines
himself to the family tchuck, which 10 utter
ed either flying or on the perch at long or
short intervals, sometimes running into u
harsh rasping tshedy, tshee-e-e. Add to such
chorus the sharp chuckle and conquereeihg
of the redwings with the ridiculous perform
ance of the cow-bird, and the effect OF the
combination is easier imagined than descrio-
ed. Compared to the singing Of the sparrow
or robin, 1t is the clatter OF pots and Kettles
They play second hand iecd-instruments
originally out Of tune. and you even suspect
the grackle of secreting lcaky fire-bellows
under his wing.
This blackbird, which is about twelve
inches long, is the largest Of them all and not
easily mistaken. You see their swarthy
ccan-cut forms in the distance, flying to and
fro ard crcling among the trccs, not one
bird but score, making their long cunciform
tails more conspicuous by using them as a
sort of iudder in the air, and spreading them
to get their balance as they alight.
Small squads arc frequently found Nesting
| In the same tree -Four or five large hand
some eggs, of pale-blue color Enthusiastically
blotchcd or scrawed with dark shades OF
brown, adorn their large bulky, inartistl6
nests which are composed of scjGes aud
grass, lined with finer materials OF the same
and with horse hair when it may be had.
On May II, 1882, several nests of this
species with their eggs were found in Bur
lington, and likewise this season at the same
date.
When the young are lledged they collect
with their parents in large ilOcks and Scout
the country in search of food making dcstruc
tive raids into the. prospective crops OF grain
and corn. In the Southern states they congre
gregatc from the interior and the North form
ing vast armies, which sweep through the
county like a gathering storm, the noise oil
whose flight is like the sound OF thunder, and
the chorus of their voices like the roaring Of
many waters, darkening the air and robine
the fields and woods in black where they
alight. With us it Is not uncommon to see
flocks of several hundred birds.
OF all crops on the farm, the corn offers
the most tempting bait to the gracklc, and
the green blades piercing the surface are 0
signal which he awaits with peculiar interest,
Without second invitation they soon busy
themselves in uprooting these and feastng
upon the sweet succulent seed below. AL
though the boys come out now and pop them
off with the gun, they are on hand later III
the season in apparently undiminishcd num-
hnr Wit hn lnxv n lTn l'p
about them This time they attack the greer
ears, ripping open the hushs and devouring
the tender milky kernels, leaving little but
the cob for the proprietor. The gun is nov
making sad havoc in their ranks, but the
voracity Of those that remain does not abate
The farmer is still defied and his stock oil
ammunition frequently fails before the crack
lie has scarcely begun his feast.
In the forcpart of the season these birds ar,
strictly carnivorous, and such powerful ex
terminators of vermin, it is still a question il
this part of the country at least whether theii
presence with us is not more beneficial thar
otherwise
Red-Wingcd BIackbIrd, tugcI:eu'
| PhGniceus L;v.)
When Nature dipped tn, red-wing in tn,
Styx, she seems to have held red bird by
the wings. AT any rate, he shows the dy,
The least observaut person has seen thi.
dusky knight keeping guard over the swami
or meadow where he has pitched his camp
his swarthy form being visible from far, will
his scarlet epaulets with margcnt gold rest
ing like tongues of bright flame upon BIZ
broad shoulders. In his habits and pro
pcnsities he resembles the gracklc will
whom he is often seen in company.
Reaching our latitude in April, the red
wing is preparing home for his prospec
tive family by the middle of the following
month. The nest is loosely constructed o
grasses, fags, and the strippings of various
plants, placed either in tussock of sedge a
few inches above the water of tie swamp
suspended between dry flags, or the stiff
stout grasses of the meadow, or placed ii
some low shrub like the buttonbush, Gee
phGlanthuS), which is so abundant in low
tangled swamps and along our rivers.
a good instance of the struggle for life,
in which it is said all animals must engage
came to my notice last year in the case o
this bird. Thirty nests of the redwing wcr,
found in low-lying swamp adjoining LAX,
Champlain in Burlington. Twcnty.tiv,
were examined and found to contain Al
eggs. Allowing an average of four to mes
the number of eggs due would be one hun
drcd, and there were 12 yet to be laid t,
|
nests which had not their full complement
at the time. Barring accidents there woult
then be go eggs produced out of the hypoth
etical 100, or little more than one-half th
number due. Ten nests contained no eggs
showing more or less evidence of robbery or
the part of crows and jays, in the prescnc,
of perforated or broken shells Probably
more than half of the whole number of egg
were eventually destroyed by those arch Gu
tmies who were even then lurking in the rear
) When, moreover, we consider the numerous
risks the young must encounter from various
contingencies such as rain, wind, predaciou.
birds and animals, and the gauntlet of thu
runners from Maine to Georgia in the fall
the. number that reach maturity will be still
further diminished.
We have already alluded to the note o.
this Startling Besides his strong sharply &C
cented theck, he has Wild dreamy, musi
cal note, a rdrble-ee or conguer.ee, which Ii,
utters as he hangs on the sprays over tn,
water.
The redwinghas the same PARTIAL ty as tn,
grackle for corn, and the depredations the,
commit in the fall, are not apt to prejudc,
the farmer in their favor. But if the book
were fairly balanced, it is likely they nigh
have something to show his to credit after all
These birds are important agents ia check
! ing the ravages of insects, and we can affort
to lose q portion rather than the whole crop
part OF the fruit rather than cut down tn
tree.
Tho Rusty GrackIe, (scoIecOphagu
Fcrrugine'is, sw.),
belongs to the Canadian fauna, and is rarel,
seen in this part of the State except as III
; passes in his migrations. On the 2Sth O
April few stopped at Burlington while OF