With all their faults, and they are numerous, let it be recorded of both crows and grackles that they are as devoted lovers as turtle-doves. Lowell characterizes them in these four lines:
"Fust come the black birds, clatt'rin' in tall trees, And settlin' things in windy Congresses; Queer politicians, though, for I'll be skinned If all on 'em don't head against the wind."
The Bronzed Grackle (_Quiscalus quiscula æneus_) differs from the preceding chiefly in the more brownish bronze tint of its plumage and its lack of iridescent bars. Its range is more westerly, and in the southwest it is particularly common; but as a summer resident it finds its way to New England in large numbers. The call-note is louder and more metallic than the purple grackle's. In nearly all respects the habits of these two birds are identical.
(_Scolecophagus carolinus_) Blackbird family
_Called also_: THRUSH BLACKBIRD; RUSTY GRACKLE; RUSTY ORIOLE; RUSTY CROW; BLACKBIRD
_Length_--9 to 9.55 inches. A trifle smaller than the robin.
_Male_--In full plumage, glossy black with metallic reflections, intermixed with rusty brown that becomes more pronounced as the season advances. Pale straw-colored eyes.
_Female_--Duller plumage and more rusty, inclining to gray. Light line over eye. Smaller than male.
_Range_--North America, from Newfoundland to Gulf of Mexico and westward to the Plains.
_Migrations_--April. November. A few winter north.
A more sociable bird than the grackle, though it travel in smaller flocks, the rusty blackbird condescends to mingle freely with other feathered friends in marshes and by brooksides. You can identify it by its rusty feathers and pale yellow eye, and easily distinguish the rusty-gray female from the female red-wing that is conspicuously streaked.
In April flocks of these birds may frequently be seen along sluggish, secluded streams in the woods, feeding upon the seeds of various water or brookside plants, and probably upon insects also. At such times they often indulge in a curious spluttering, squeaking, musical concert that one listens to with pleasure. The breeding range is mostly north of the United States. But little seems to be known of the birds' habits in their northern home.