Before drawing this part of our subject to a close, we cannot permit the occasion to pass without giving a brief description of one more nest which was obtained in June, 1880. It was placed upon the horizontal limb of an apple-tree, at an elevation of about ten feet from the ground. The peculiarity of this structure is the large number of carpet rags which depend therefrom. In most cases they extend from ten to fourteen inches beyond its lower border, thus contrasting very markedly with the dark stems and rootlets that make up the bulk of the exterior. Was this arrangement the result of blind chance, or were the rags placed there for some special purpose?
The building of a home occupies the birds from four to five days. Did the builders work continuously at it from sunrise to sunset, the period of nidification would be considerably shortened. But such is not the ease. They seem to have no regular hours for labor, but only work as it suits their convenience. The duty of the male is to collect the materials; that of the female, to arrange them in suitable places. The nest being completed, scarcely a day passes before the first deposit is made. Subsequent deposits are made on consecutive days until the full complement is reached, when the female on the day following the last extrusion, takes the nest, and continues thereon, with brief intervals of intermission, for a period of thirteen or fourteen days, when her labors are repaid by the appearance of a nest-full of tiny fledglings. While she is thus occupied, the male acts the part of a dutiful and faithful husband, guarding her from danger, and supplying her with the choicest and most savory articles of food. When not foraging, he may be seen upon the topmost bough of the tree upon which the nest is placed, directly above his mate, on the constant lookout for danger. Should an enemy approach, he immediately gives vent to his displeasure by a few shrill twitterings, elevates his crest, and then gives chase to the intruder, whom he pursues for a considerable distance, all the while darting at him from different positions, and inflicting the severest punishment, in order to teach him the folly of trespassing. Owls, Eagles, Crows, Grakles, Jays, and even the common barnyard Hen, are made to feel the force of his vengeance; but his most implacable enemy is the Purple Martin.
The young are objects of more than ordinary parental solicitude. The most endearing attentions are lavished upon them, and no efforts are spared to render them comfortable and happy. Caterpillars, flies, and other equally tender insects, are brought in great quantities, during the first few days of their existence, to satisfy the demands of their greedy appetites; but as they become larger, beetles and grasshoppers are added to their dietary. When fourteen days old, they quit the nest, but still remain under home influences for a fortnight later, when they are allowed to shift for themselves.
In many particulars the eggs of this species resemble those of the Arkansas Flycatcher, but differ mainly in their somewhat larger size, and more pointed form. They are oval in shape, white in ground-color—except when fresh, when they show a roseate tinge—and beautifully spotted with brown and reddish-brown blotches and markings, which are confluent about the larger extremity in some, and irregularly scattered over the surface in others. They measure from 1.02 to .87 of an inch in length, and from .75 to .72 in width. Specimens from different parts of the country have been examined, and all, without exception, bear a very close resemblance to each other, scarcely differing more than do eggs of the same clutch.
[Original Size]
Plate VI.—AGELAIUS PHOENICEUS, Vieillot.—Redwing Blackbird.
The Redwing Blackbird is found throughout North America, from ocean to ocean, and westward to the 57th parallel. From Texas and Florida to the plains of the Saskatchewan, wherever found, it breeds more or less abundantly.