BY H. NEHRLING.
(Continued from p. [13].)
87. Molothrus ater Gray. Cowbird.—Very abundant throughout the year. They come in large flocks into the streets of the city in the winter months to search for food; they also associate at that season with Scolecophagus cyanocephalus Cab. I have never seen anywhere else such numbers of these birds as here, and in the breeding season most of the nests of our small birds contain eggs of this parasite.
87a. Molothrus ater obscurus Coues. Dwarf Cowbird.—A common bird during the breeding season. It is smaller than its near relative, and quicker in its motions. Moves usually in flocks of from two to ten. I first observed the bird when it was just leaving the nest of Lanivireo flavifrons Bd., and found its egg in it, besides four of the Vireo’s. The egg is smaller and not so thickly sprinkled as that of the common Cowbird.
88. Xanthocephalus icterocephalus Bd. Yellow-headed Blackbird.—Very common in marshy localities from the latter part of October to March and April. I think some remain to breed, as I observed small flocks during May in the low prairie districts overgrown with reeds and other water plants. The best opportunity I ever had to study the breeding habits of this beautiful but very locally distributed Blackbird was in the Calumet Marshes near Kensington, about eighteen miles south of Chicago, where I discovered in a single day about fifty nests among the reeds. During the winter months they associate with Molothrus ater, Agelæus phœniceus, and Scolecophagus cyanocephalus; many migrate further south, and in cold winters only a few remain near Houston.
89. Agelæus phœniceus Vieill. Red-winged Blackbird.—Common in swamps, but not so abundant as I have found these birds to be in Wisconsin and Illinois. May 6, 1881, I discovered a nest in a somewhat strange position, in a blackberry-bush (Rubus villosus) on the edge of a thicket; there was no swamp within a mile. This was in the northern part of Harris County. Only a few remain to winter, the greater part migrating farther south.
90. Sturnella magna Swains. Meadow Lark.—Common summer sojourner, and very abundant during winter; many thousands are killed in the latter season by pot hunters. During summer the Meadow Lark is strictly a prairie bird, always to be looked for on the open grassy savannas; I never found the bird breeding in a cotton field or corn field. In winter, however, they change their habits, and in large flocks visit the sugar-cane, cotton, and corn fields.
91. Icterus spurius Bp. Orchard Oriole.—Common during migrations.
91a. Icterus spurius affinis Coues. Southern Orchard Oriole.—Very common summer sojourner; breeds in all suitable localities, especially in peach gardens. The bird is decidedly smaller than the northern variety; it is also more active and quicker in its motions. The song is much more varied, and louder, quicker and more beautiful, reminding one of the song of the Baltimore Oriole. The nest is smaller, but it is built of the same materials—green grasses, lined with cotton. May 8, 1881, I discovered a very curious but not quite finished nest near Spring Creek, only a few yards from a dwelling. For several days I had observed a pair of these birds carrying fresh green grasses to a laurel oak (Quercus imbricaria), that was densely covered with large hanging bunches of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides); they disappeared every time into a bunch of moss, yet I could see no nest. At last, on taking down the bunch of moss, I was surprised to find a beautiful structure in my hands. The grasses and moss were all woven firmly together; the entrance was on the side.
92. Scolecophagus ferrugineus Swains. Rusty Blackbird.—Very rare. A few seen in March, 1881, among flocks of the following species.