The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-09-11

but these Gfackles are on the friend
Hest terms with another blackbifd,
which has markings Of yellow and
red on the shoulders of the wings.
This bird I have heard called Swamp
Blackbird, Rice Bird, and RedWinged
Blackbird, but it is Starting. These
latter are very curious about my pat
rot, and when he is huns out under
tree in the early morning, they seem
to gather from all quarters of the town
to take a look at him, and make some
remark In fact I never heard such
bird-noises in my life, with the excep-
ton of colony Of young crows.
major" the parrot, gets SO incensed
at the everlasting chatter, that he
Auffs himself up into a great. bail OF
green feathers, and what he says, is,
l imagine quite as insulting as any
thing they say. The Grackies would
love to be singers. They make ire
mendous efforts to cultivate their
voices, patterning after the notes of the
knocking bird, and an uglier result you
could scarcely imagine. Picture to
yourself, a hundred of these aspirants,
perched on his seat on a bright winter
morning, going through voice culture.
In order to reach the notes they aspire
to, they raise their wings slightly, just
as you have seen some poor little wO-
man who has no voice, lift her shout
ders and stretch her neck to drag out
"a high note from her cracked voice
box, and you know just how the Crack
lie looks, and the note he produces
puts to shame the rustiest hinge that
ever swung a gate. But notwithstand-
ing his inef1ciency, he Oftentimes aims
to produce trill, and then making a
supreme effort he raises every feather
on his back and head, as you have
seen an ugly dog bristle his hairs, the
wings are raised and partly opened
and then you are treated to such a
MARBLE as you never expected to hear
save from an overworked soubrette
that has put in half a century's time in
a tenth rate theatre. Until we got
used to the daily concert, l must adj
NIT that we said some hard things
about the Grackles and their associ-
ates; but we don't mind them any more
now, than we would the filing of saw.
You can get used to anything, in time.
Among the birds that have tarried with
us this summer, have been the Shrikes
Or Butcher birds, and some Blue Jays.
These birds seem to have acquired
very bad names for themselves, for
their proclivity for destroying the eggs
and fedglings of other birds. l cannot
vouch for these bad habits, but SCI
entific investigation shows that they
are most assiduous in their pursuit of
our garden enemies. I have seen
Strikes impale bugs, worms, and grass
hoppers on the thorns of citrus trees,
and then eat them, but if they do this
with the young of other birds, l havc
never seen them do it. A young man
who was visiting us at one time, shot
at pair of Strikes on our grounds,
and killed one Of them. The mate
Immediately flew down and proceeded
to eat the brains of the victim, through
the eye-hOles.
| must admit that since that time, |
have had some prejudice against the
Butcher-bird.
A pair Of Grosbeaks or Cardinals,
has also remained with us this summer,
and since February have raised three
or four families. The last nest of
eggs, | fear, met with some accident
Our place is full OF the young birds,
and never was there a more lovable
young bird, with it's jaunty top-knot
and sweet little pleading note for food.
This begging note of the Mocking- bird
Grackle, is most distressing thing,
until one gets SO accustomed to it that
you do not mind it any more than you