The BOBLINK, or RICE BIRD (_Dolichonyx oryzivorus_), possesses so
many features in common with both Finches and Starlings as to render
it difficult to decide amongst which it should really be placed. This
species is very numerous in North America, where it is much detested on
account of the serious damage it does to the fields of ripe grain. The
principal characteristic of the group of RICE EATERS to which this bird
belongs is their strong, conical beak, which is of moderate length, and
much compressed towards the sides, the upper mandible being narrower than
the lower portion, and lying, as it were, enclosed within its edges. The
body is compact, the head large, the wings of moderate size, the second
quill being longer than the rest; the tail is of great length, and each
individual feather composing it terminates in a sharp point; the feet are
not large, but powerful, and the plumage compact and glossy. The body of
the Boblink measures seven inches, its breadth being about eleven inches,
the wing three and a half, and the tail two and a half inches. The
plumage varies considerably at different seasons of the year. During the
period of incubation the male is black upon the head, the lower portion
of the body, and the tail; the nape is brownish yellow, and the feathers
upon the back black, with a broad yellow margin; the shoulders and rump
are of a yellowish white; the wing-covers and quills are black, bordered
with yellow. The eye is brown, the upper mandible dark brown, and the
lower one blueish grey; the feet are light blue. The female is smaller
than her mate, of a pale yellowish brown upon the back, the shafts of the
feathers being marked with a dark tinge; the lower parts of the body are
of a pale greyish yellow, the sides streaked in the same manner, as is
the back; the bridles are brown, and a yellow line passes over the eyes;
the quills and tail-feathers are much lighter than in the gala dress of
her mate. During the winter months the male bird wears a coat closely
resembling that of the female. The young are similar to the mother, but
all their tints are greyer and paler.
When upon the ground, the movements of this species may be described as
being more like a step than a hop; its flight is light and graceful, and
its powers of climbing amongst the stubble by no means inferior to those
of the Reed Sparrow. The Boblink (so called from its well-known cry)
appears regularly in North America during the summer months, visiting the
West Indies and the northern parts of South America in the course of its
migrations. About May these birds begin to make their appearance in New
York by small parties, which gradually increase in numbers until they
literally swarm throughout the whole State--indeed, Audubon tells us that
it would be impossible to find a field unoccupied by these destructive
visitors. Even the breeding season does not interfere with their social
relations, for the nests are built near together upon the ground, each
pair, however, keeping possession of a distinct territory, in the
centre of which the little home is made with much art, amidst the grass
or stubble. The cares of the brood devolve entirely upon the females,
their mates, meanwhile, disporting themselves over the neighbouring
fields, and making the air resound with their endeavours to rival each
other in the beauty of their song, which is so rich and varied in its
tones as frequently to lead the hearer to imagine that he is listening
to the voices of many singers, when in reality the sounds are produced
by a solitary bird. Wilson describes the performance of the Boblink as
resembling a series of notes struck upon all parts of the pianoforte
in rapid succession, and tells us that the effect, though strange, is
extremely pleasing. When perched, the male accompanies its song by a
variety of animated gestures and movements of its wings. The eggs are
laid about the end of May; they are from four to six in number, white,
and thickly marked with dark blue or black spots irregularly distributed.
Each couple breeds but once during the year. The young are fed upon
insects: they rapidly attain their full size, and are ready to join
their parents in the work of destruction about to commence. No sooner is
the period of incubation over than the nature of these birds seems to
undergo an entire change. The male completely loses his song, and doffs
his brilliant coat, which is replaced by a comparatively quiet dress,
resembling that of the female, and all exchange their hitherto harmless
demeanour for a life of active and really formidable mischief. In vain
are every means adopted by the inhabitants to scare the destructive
flocks from their fields of young corn; hundreds of thousands are shot,
but with little result beyond driving the enemy from one district to take
refuge in another, and it is only when the work of devastation has been
fully carried out that these enormous swarms leave the locality to carry
on their terrible raids in another part of the country. It would seem
as though the hatred with which the farmers regard this bird had made
them entirely overlook the service it renders them during other seasons
of the year by the enormous quantities of insects it consumes; even the
great beauty of its song has not induced them to tame it.
* * * * *
The MARSH TROOPIALS (_Agelaius_) are quite as numerous, and almost as
destructive as the members of the last-mentioned group. In these birds
the beak is long, conical, very pointed, and slightly compressed, the
body powerful, the wings of moderate size, their second and third quills
being longer than the rest; the tail moderate, rounded at its extremity,
and the plumage soft and glossy.