Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/153

 GRAIN COAST mence of the division of the pennyweight into 24 grains. The present troy pound is 5,760 grains, and the avoirdupois pound 7,000. GRAIN COAST, a part of the coast of upper Guinea, W. Africa, between Capes Mesurado and Palmas, comprising a large part of the coast of Liberia. It receives its name from the cardamom, or grain of paradise, called other- wise Guinea grains and Malagueta pepper, which is exported. (See LIBERIA.) GRAINGER, a K E. county of Tennessee, bounded N. W. by Clinch river and S. E. by Holston river, here navigable by steamboats ; area, about 330 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 12,421, of whom 1,030 were colored. The surface is hilly, Clinch mountain crossing the county from N. W. to S. E. The river bottoms are fertile, and the highlands are rich in iron and other ores. The chief productions in 1870 were 78,146 bushels of wheat, 363,260 of In- dian corn, 86,005 of oats, 12,285 of Irish and 8,045 of sweet potatoes, and 709 tons of hay. There were 2,233 horses, 2,248 milch cows, 4,670 other cattle, 9,797 sheep, and 17,723 swine. Capital, Rutledge. GRARLE. I. A conirostral bird of the East Indian genus gracula (Linn.), constituting in itself the subfamily guaculince of the family sturnidcs or starlings. The species, especially the mina bird (G. religiosa), are celebrated for their powers of song and speech. (See MINO BIRD.) II* In the United States, the name of birds of the subfamily quiscalina or boat- tails, which includes the genera scolecophagus (Swains.), quiscalus (Vieill.), and scaphidurus (Swains.). The genus scolecophagus has the bill shorter than the head, nearly straight, slender, with the edges inflexed; the wings moderate and pointed, the first quill shorter than the second, third, and fourth, which are longest ; the tail shorter than the wings, flat and nearly even ; tarsi as long as the middle toe, with broad scutellae ; toes long and slen- der, the hind toe long, and the slender claws sharp and slightly curved. The rusty grakle (S. ferrugineus, Swains.) is about 9 in. long, extent of wings 14 in., bill 1 in., tarsus 1 ; the plumage is soft and glossy, of a deep black color, with greenish and bluish reflections; the female is smaller, of a general brownish or rusty black, the feathers beneath margined with brownish ; the young resemble the female, with the head, neck, and lower parts light- 3r brown, and the rump tinged with gray; n the autumn and winter even the males be- come rather rusty. They are found from the tlantic coast to the Missouri, migrating to he far north in the spring to breed ; in the lutumn they return to the south in small flocks vith the cow-bunting and red-winged black- )ird, with which they associate until spring eturns. The flight is quick and undulating, nd the walk is graceful, the tail being jerked ip and down at every step. They frequent he corn fields and rice plantations, where they o little mischief; they are fond of the com- GRAKLE 145 pany of cattle, picking out the grain from their droppings ; in the winter they resort to marsh- es and watercourses, feeding on aquatic insects and small mollusks. Their note is a kind of chuck, but during the breeding season they are noisy and have a lively and agreeable song. They are not very shy. The nest is built on low bushes in moist places, of coarse materials, and the eggs, four or five, are light blue, streaked and dashed with lines of brown and deep black. The Mexican grakle (S. cyanocephalus, Cab.) is a somewhat larger bird, with a stouter bill, and a purplish gloss confined to the head and neck ; it is found from Minnesota to the Pacific, and as far south as Mexico. The other grakles belong principally to the genus quiscalus, char- acterized by a bill as long as the head, broad, with the edges inflexed, and the tip of the upper mandible overhanging the under ; the wings moderate, the second, third, and fourth quills the longest ; the tail longer than the wings, graduated and the sides turned upward ; the tarsi as long as the middle toe, strong, and greatly scutellated ; the toes strong, and the hind one long, all scutellated; claws short, robust, and slightly curved. More than 12 species are described, which migrate according to the sea- sons ; in winter their immense flocks are very destructive on plantations, while in spring they devour from the fields and ploughed lands great numbers of worms, grubs, and caterpillars, in- jurious to vegetation ; they pull the young corn soon after it has sprouted, and also attack it when in the milky state. The species found in the United States are best distinguished by the size and form of the tail. The largest is the great-tailed grakle (Q. macrourus, Swains.), 18 in. long, with an extent of wing of about 27, and the tail 9 ; the color is shining black, with purple and green reflections, and the feathers of the head soft and velvety ; it is found from the valley of the Rio Grande in Texas south- ward. The boat-tailed grakle, great crow- blackbird, or jackdaw as it is sometimes called (Q. major, Vieill.), is about 16 in. long, with an extent of wings of 2 ft. ; the color is shining black, the purple gloss being confined to the head, neck, and fore part of the breast, else- where with green reflections ; the crown feath- ers are coarse and stiff. Their habits are the same as those of the other grakles ; they seek their food among the salt marshes and along the muddy shores, eating fiddler crabs, insects, worms, shrimps, and other aquatic animals; they are fond of the eggs of other birds, and commit depredations in the corn and rice fields. They are very shy, and fly at a considerable elevation and for long distances ; the notes are harsh and shrill, though rather pleasing in the love season. The nest is large, of coarse materials, placed on tall reeds growing in the water, on smilax bushes, and on live oaks, where they breed in communities ; they begin to lay about the 1st of April, sometimes earlier ; the eggs, four or five, are dull white with irregular streaks of brown and black ; only one I!