The RED-WINGED TROOPIAL (_Agelaius Phoeniceus_) is almost as abundant
in North America as is the Rice Bird, and, though its plumage is
extremely simple, it is remarkably beautiful. During the breeding season
the coat of the male is deep black, except upon the shoulders, which are
of a rich scarlet; the eyes are brown, and the feet and beak blueish
black. The female is blackish brown upon the upper part of the body, the
belly greyish brown, each feather being edged with yellowish grey; the
throat and cheeks are light greyish yellow, streaked with a deeper shade;
its body is about eight and a half inches long, its breadth thirteen and
a half inches; the wing measures four and a half inches.
These birds are found extensively throughout the whole of North America,
and appear regularly in the United States during the summer months, but
are most numerous in the northern provinces. Audubon tells us that the
"Redwings" leave the south as soon as spring appears, performing their
migrations in flocks of considerable extent; the males leading the way,
and singing almost without intermission, as though to induce the females
to follow them; the different parties rest for the night upon the tops
of high trees, and greet the morning with an animated song before again
proceeding on their journey. No sooner have the females made their
appearance than the work of choosing a mate commences, a proceeding
attended with no small difficulty, as the males far exceed the females in
number. When mated the little couple retires from the rest of the flock,
and sets about the construction of the nest, which is built of dry reeds,
lined with horsehair or fine grass, and placed under a bush at the edge
of a pond or in a marshy field. The eggs (see Coloured Plate IV., fig.
28), from four to six in number, are of a light brown colour, spotted
with a darker shade. The male bird exhibits the greatest anxiety for the
welfare of its little partner, and, should they be molested, will fly
close up to the intruder, as though to divert attention from the nest,
or else will perch immediately above its mate, uttering such pitiful
cries of distress as will sometimes deter the unwelcome visitor from
approaching nearer. These birds produce two broods during the summer, the
second being ready to leave the nest by the beginning of August, when
they congregate in flocks, numbering many thousands, and immediately
commence their depredations in the fields, destroying the crops in the
most terrible manner, despite the utmost efforts used to drive them from
the locality, which they only quit when the corn becomes too ripe to suit
their requirements. Like most of their congeners, they usually pass the
night amongst the beds of reeds, which afford them temporary protection
from the attacks of the infuriated farmers, by whom incredible numbers
are slaughtered, without making any apparent diminution in the flocks,
which occasionally may literally be said to darken the sky. Except
during the time when the corn is young and tender, the habits of the
Red-wing are by no means such as to render them objects of persecution,
for they may be seen hopping after the plough, and clearing the field of
multitudes of noxious and destructive insects; these services, however,
are entirely overlooked by the American husbandmen, who have no eyes for
their beauty and no ears for their song, but pursue them with unrelenting
hostility.
* * * * *
The COW-BIRDS (_Molothrus_) constitute a group of Starlings distinguished
by their short, conical, sharply-pointed beaks, the upper mandible of
which is almost straight, and compressed towards its edges; the wings
are tolerably long, the three first feathers being of nearly equal
length. The tail is of moderate size, and straight at its extremity,
the individual quills becoming broader towards their tip; the tarsi are
compact, but rather high, and the soft plumage, which in the young bird
is brown, at a later period turns to a bright metallic blue.