New-York tribune., 1889-12-26
THE SAVANNA BLACRBIRD.
ITS PLUMAGE ADoRNS MANY BoNNETs.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE HABITS OF THE sPR1GHTLY
LITTLE CREATURE.

LITTLE CREATURE
new fashion has come into vogue OF late. 1t
means thousands OF lives sacrificed but rs they the
llyos 'o members of the feathercd tribe, why should
women stop to think Of the blood spilled to make
their hats beautiful and themselves the cynosTe of
mems admiring cyesl
few years ago, no one wouf have thought
that the despised though useful savanna backbirl
(CrotOphaga AMI, would be slaughtered for the
purpose OF adornlng the hats and bonnets Of women
| That it has been shot by the hundreds is however,
evident to anybody moving about the streets Of New
! York, or indeed, any Of the leading towns in the
| United States. 1t is the black wings and tail and
parrotlike head Of the backblrd that adorn
| every second woman's head one meets this winter
season. Owing TO its beak the bird is called in Hayt
q bout dc abac" and in the Barbados the Barbados
parrot, though really the bird Is no way allied to tho
parrot family, but really is species Of cuckoo
Usually bird Is thought little of where it Is found
in great numbers and this Is certainly true of this
blackbird, which, next to the Johnny Crow buzzad
is looked upon with the greatest loathing in the West
Indies As his denotes, the bird is ticleaer.
Hopping about the cows or horses in the fields,
numbers of them always be the lookout
for the insects that disturbed by the grazing OF
the cattle. As rule, they hop from spot to spot,
but when a particularly lively cricket makes bolt
for its life the blacbblr actually runs. ITS long
tail Is carried high in the air and'as It pounces down
seems about 10 turn the bird over.
Backbiids frequently to be seen jumping up
on animals, picking of the ticks and parasites that
stick th Ei. When COW lies down to chew its
cud three four Of these birds will forage over the
beast, making hearty meal OF the ticks that cling
its hide. Though great eaters, these birds,
when fat, have a mean appearance.
HOW THE BIRD CLIMBS IN A TREE.
Though the savanna backblrd IS classed among
ha fho nd ba. tba t-olfo mad
foot it is generally downward, not an upward,
climber II enters tree by alghting the extremity
Of some main branch and gains the centre Of the
foliage by creeping along the stem and searching for
It's insect food. These blackbrs always to be
in hocks Of six, ten dozen, and seldom pene
tratc far into any tree. They glance along the
branches rapidly. and silently quit the they have
visited by dropping by some inviting spot
the greensward under them, they start away
suddenly, all together, TO nearby thicket TO
which among them generally leads with that
peculiar shr and screaming cry that distinguishes
them from every other bird OF the field In the
West Indies many OF the birds are migratory but
the backbids the tenants Of the field all the year
round.
sombre colors are tho fashion for hat trimmings
and the ietblack plumage of these most common biris
Of the New World tropics has been called Into requlsl-
ton by those who have 10 provide for the taStes OF
the public. To the binds themselves It must be a
body ever dreamed Of shooting blackbrl. Wherever
there are open lands in iillage or pastures with in
termnglcd trees and shrubs, these sociable bis are
be found, always familiar and seemingly fearless,
but never omitng TO set their sentinel or watchman
To sound the alarm when any one comes nearer than
they deem advisable -.
After passing fall of rain, sudden midday,
sunshine bright and fierce, breaks again on the frss6
CnGa Snf om bs Rhet nS to dry his Wings and
fields Is the savanna backbird. The mockingbiri,
once moic is seldom ahead of the shr backblrd in
breaking the hush that succeeds the shower Quo
bnt clu of "A
birds with their long tails and short gliding wings,
are seen stpagglng away TO some spot where insect
life stirring in the fresh damp and eXuberant earth
quicker than they spy out danger, and then their
cry Is yiOus and hastily repeated as they seek
shelter in some near by bush a hawk with silent
stealth. is skimming along the bordering woodland,
gliding occasionally downward to the lesser shrubs IN
the fields. The cry of the backbird, however, has
warned the whole fcld-not a sound Is heard, not
wing IS moving.
BLACKBIRDS AT THE RIVERSIDE.
In the hot and sultry days. when there has been no
rain for weeks and the nights almost dewless and
all vegetation Is parched and dropping the blackbds
are seen wingng their way at an early hour Of the
afternoon to the riverside trOopng thither in little
parties They have found spot where mp |
rooted tree has grounded in the shallow stream.
Here they are perched some tail upward, drinking '
from the slugglShly flowing water, some silent AMI
dropping, some pluming themselves, while Others get
standing the sand that has silted up about The /
embedded lunk OF the tree. arc bathing In the 'haI,
sunset, when al with start OF aggingy, the signal
heing given by one of the party, who announces that |
II is time to seek thc coverts for the night, with |
the peculiar cry Of que yuck.'
There Is no more gT"garOus bird than the savanna |
blackbirl. one Is seldom seen alone, and even In
nesting the whole party make common nest 1t IS |
built Of stout twigs. generally OF some thick foliagcd
tree but the bird takes little trouble I'm hiding it from
view All the birds lay their eggs in the ono nest |
and all hnlp In raising the common family. These |
,grs arc about a. large bantams and are nearly
snbcrcal in shape They arc Of a grecnish blue, |
hut covered with n white chally substance which Is
much scratched and eroded and can easily be scaped
on Tho inside is peculiar the CLAIR being less |
tenacious than usual. but like, yet ar the
samo time thinner I'm consistency. This white |
nis nearly three quarters of the egg, while the