The diversity in the characteristics of the eggs of this species has

not unfrequently occasioned remarks, and even suggested conjectures as

to specific differences. They are all, however, reconcilable with

differences in the age of the parents, and are, to some extent,

affected by the circumstances under which they are deposited. The eggs

of old, mature birds, deposited in the early summer, or the first

brood, are usually sub-globular or obtusely pointed at either end,

large in size, and irregularly sprinkled over with fine bright red

dots. Younger birds, breeding for the first time, birds that have been

robbed of their eggs, or those depositing a third set, have smaller

eggs, sometimes two thirds of the maximum size, more oblong and more

pointed at one end, and are marked, at the larger end only, with

plashes of dark purplish-brown.

Sturnella magna, var. neglecta, AUD.

WESTERN LARK.

_Sturnella neglecta_, AUD. Birds Am. VII, 1843, 339, pl.

cccclxxxvii.—NEWBERRY, Zoöl. Cal. & Or. Route; Rep. P. R. R.

Surv. VI, IV, 1857, 86.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 537.—HEERM.

X, S, 54.—COOPER & SUCKLEY, 208.—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870,

270. _? Sturnella hippocrepis_, (WAGLER,) HEERMANN, J. A. N.

Sc. Ph. 2d series, II, 1853, 269, Suisun.

SP. CHAR. Feathers above dark brown, margined with brownish-white,

with a terminal blotch of pale reddish-brown. Exposed portion of wings

and tail with transverse bands, which, in the latter, are completely

isolated from each other, narrow and linear. Beneath yellow, with a

black pectoral crescent. The yellow of the throat extending on the

sides of the maxilla. Sides, crissum, and tibiæ very pale

reddish-brown, or nearly white, streaked with blackish. Head with a

light median and superciliary stripe, the latter yellow in front of

the eye; a blackish line behind it. The transverse bars on the

feathers above (less so on the tail) with a tendency to become

confluent near the exterior margin. Length, 10 inches; wing, 5.25;

tail, 3.25; bill, 1.25.

HAB. Western America from high Central Plains to the Pacific; east to

Pembina, and perhaps to Wisconsin, on the north (Iowa, Allen), and

Texas on the south; western Mexico, south to Colima.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXIV.

1. Sturnella neglecta. ♂ Nevada, 53592.

2. ” magna. ♂ Pa., 1303.

3. Icterus bullocki. ♂ Ft. Bridger, 11282.

4. ” spurius. ♂ La., 4286.

5. ” ” ♂ _juv._ Pa., 1437.

6. ” ” ♀ Pa., 150.

7. ” bullocki. ♀ Cal., 3900.]

HABITS. The differences of plumage between this species and our

eastern Meadow Lark are so slight that we might hesitate to allow the

existence of any specific distinctness between the two forms, were it

not for the very strongly marked differences between them in other

respects. Whether we regard them as races or as different species,

their history diverges as we cross the Missouri River, though both are

found on either bank.

The existence of this variety was first made known by Messrs. Lewis

and Clark, in their memorable expedition to the Rocky Mountains. They

refer especially to the difference, in the notes, between this bird

and the old Field Lark of the east. It remained unnoticed by our

ornithologists until 1844, when Mr. Audubon included it in the

appendix to his seventh volume. He met with it in his voyage to the

Yellowstone, and it would have escaped his notice had not the

attention of his party been called to its curious notes. In its

flight, manners on the ground, or general habits, he could perceive no

difference between it and the common species. None of its nests that

he found were covered over, in the manner of the _magna_, and the eggs

were differently marked.

Mr. J. A. Allen, in his interesting paper on the birds observed in

Western Iowa, while he does not admit any specific difference between

these two forms, presents with impartial exactness the very striking

dissimilarity between them, both in habits and in song. In regard to

the diversity in habits we quote his words:—

“At the little village of Denison, where I first noticed it in

song, it was particularly common, and half domestic in its

habits, preferring the streets and grassy lanes, and the

immediate vicinity of the village, to the remoter prairie. Here,

wholly unmolested and unsuspicious, it collected its food; and

the males, from their accustomed perches on the housetops, daily

warbled their wild songs for hours together.” These traits of

familiarity, so totally different from anything ever observed in

our eastern birds, he does not concede, however, as establishing

necessarily specific difference. Yet he does admit that its song

was so new to him that he did not at first have the slightest

suspicion that its utterer was the western Meadow Lark, as he

found it to be. He adds: “It differs from that of the Meadow Lark

in the Eastern States, in the notes being louder and wilder, and

at the same time more liquid, mellower, and far sweeter. They

have a pensiveness and a general character remarkably in harmony

with the half-dreamy wildness of the primitive prairie, as though

the bird had received from its surroundings their peculiar

impress. It differs, too, in the less frequency of the harsh,

complaining chatter so conspicuous in the eastern bird.”

The value of these marked differences, both in song and character,

between the eastern and western birds, we will not argue, but will

only add that they are none too strikingly presented by Mr. Allen.

During the writer’s brief visit to the Plains he was strongly

impressed by the natural, confiding trustfulness of this species and

its wonderful beauty of song, both in such remarkable contrast with

the habits of our eastern birds. At Antelope Station a pair of these

birds had built their nest under the window of the office, and seemed

to enjoy the society of the family, while the depot-master, familiar

with the song and habits of our eastern birds, appreciated the great

differences between the two forms, and called my attention to them.

Mr. Allen also found this Lark everywhere abundant in Colorado, but

its notes appeared to him quite different from those of the

representatives of this species living to the eastward, in the prairie

States, being less varied and ringing, and more guttural.

Dr. Cooper says this bird is abundant in California, and resident

nearly throughout the entire State, breeding in the Colorado Valley

and in all other districts not quite waterless. Their songs are

lively, sweet, and varied. They sing at all seasons, early and late,

from the ground, from the tree-top, or in the air, and when unmolested

are so tame as to make the house-top their favorite perch. Even the

female has considerable musical power, and cheers her mate by singing

to him while he relieves her by sitting on the eggs. She also has a

harsh, petulant chirp, frequently repeated as if in anger. He states

that they build their nest in a slight depression under a bunch of

grass, and usually more or less arched over and artfully concealed.

The female, when flushed, usually skulks off some distance before she

flies. The eggs he describes as white, with a few large purplish-brown

blotches and dots towards the larger end, and measuring 1.15 inches by

.85. They are very obtuse in shape.

They feed chiefly on insects, seeds, and grain, do no damage to the

crops, and destroy a vast number of noxious insects.

Dr. Suckley found this bird common everywhere in Oregon and Washington

Territory, some remaining throughout every winter. In 1855 a few were

seen at Fort Dalles as early as March 5. On the 7th he found them

quite abundant on the ploughed fields near Fort Vancouver. Some of

these had probably remained all the winter. In February, 1856, he

found them quite abundant at Fort Steilacoom. At Fort Dalles, by the

2d of May, he obtained young birds nearly fledged.

Mr. Dresser found it very common during winter near San Antonio, where

a few remain to breed.

In Arizona, according to Dr. Coues, it is resident, but quite rare.

Lieutenant Couch found these birds from the Rio Grande to the high

bottoms of the Lower Bolson de Mapimi. Its notes he speaks of as

highly musical, contending even with the Mocking Bird for a supremacy

in song.

Mr. Ridgway found the western Meadow Lark one of the most abundant and

characteristic birds of California and all fertile portions of the

interior as far east as the Missouri, and remarks that, although

closely resembling the eastern bird in appearance, its song is totally

different, not a note uttered by it having more than a very distant

resemblance to any of the well-known _magna_ of the eastern meadows.

In the depth of its tone and the charms of its articulation its song

is hardly excelled, resembling very nearly the song of the Wood

Thrush. Mr. Ridgway describes its modulations as expressed by the

syllables _tung-tung-tungah-til’lah-til’lah-tung_, each note powerful

and distinct. The difference between the other notes of the two birds

is still greater than in their song, and even in character these are

not alike. In the _neglecta_ the call-note of watchfulness or alarm is

a loud, deep-toned _tuck_, similar to the _chuck_ of the Blackbird,

but much louder and more metallic. That of sympathy for the young, or

anxiety when the nest is approached, is a loud, liquid _tyur_,

slightly resembling the complaining note of the eastern Bluebird, and

also of the Orchard Oriole. All of its notes are of a power

corresponding to the size of the bird.

Mr. Ridgway also notices important differences in their flight. That

of the eastern species is carried on by an occasional spasmodic beat

or jerk of the wings, which are then extended, the bird sailing a

short distance. The flight of the western Lark is much more irregular,

the bird flitting along by a trembling flutter of the wings, never

assuming these peculiar features.

An egg of this species, collected by Dr. Cooper in Washington

Territory, June 19, 1856, measures 1.20 inches in length and .86 in

breadth. It is of an oblong-oval shape, obtuse; the ground white,

sparingly spotted with a very dark purple, most of the markings being

at the larger end. Three eggs from Arizona, collected by Dr. Palmer,

measure 1.10 inches by .80. The markings are of much lighter shades of

lilac, purple, and purplish and reddish-brown. The markings are more

generally diffused, but predominate at the larger end. An egg from the

Yellowstone, collected by Mr. Audubon, is unusually pointed at one

end, measures 1.13 inches by .82. The spots are a dark purplish-brown,

intermingled with smaller and lighter dottings of reddish-brown. Eggs

from California do not vary essentially in their markings from those

of Arizona, and have an average measurement of 1.10 inches by .85. As

a general rule, the mottling of the eggs of the western bird is finer

than that of the eastern.

SUBFAMILY ICTERINÆ.

GENUS ICTERUS, AUCT.

_Icterus_, BRISSON, R. A. 1760.—GRAY, Genera.

_Xanthornus_, CUVIER, Leç. Anat. Comp. 1800.—GRAY, Genera.

_Pendulinus_, VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816.

_Yphantes_, VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816.—GRAY, Genera.

GEN. CHAR. Bill slender, elongated, as long as the head, generally a

little decurved, and very acute. Tarsi not longer than the middle toe,

nor than the head; claws short, much curved; outer lateral toe a

little longer than the inner, reaching a little beyond base of middle

toe. Feet adapted for perching. Tail rounded or graduated. Prevailing

colors yellow or orange, and black.

The species of this subfamily are all as strikingly characterized by

diversity and brilliancy of plumage as the others are (with few

exceptions) for their uniform sombre black, scarcely relieved by other

colors. Of the four genera of this subfamily, recognized by Gray, all

but _Cacicus_ are well represented in the United States. This differs

from all the rest in having the culmen widened and much depressed

towards the base, where it advances in a crescent on the forehead,

separating the frontal plumes. In the other genera the culmen advances

somewhat on the forehead, but it is in a narrow acute point, and not

dilated.

[Line drawing: _Icterus bullocki._

6721]

In studying the North American Orioles we have found it exceedingly

difficult to arrange them in any sharply defined sections, as whatever

characters be taken as the basis of classification, the other features

will not correspond. Thus, species with the bill of the same

proportions and amount of curvature differ in the shape and graduation

of the tail, while tails of the same form are accompanied by entirely

dissimilar bills and wings. The bill is sometimes much attenuated and

decurved, as in _I. cucullatus_, while in _melanocephalus_ and

_baltimore_ it is stouter and straighter. The tail is usually much

graduated; in _I. baltimore_ and _bullocki_ it is only moderately

rounded. These last-mentioned species constitute the genus

_Hyphantes_. Many of the species have a naked space round the eye,

very evident in _I. vulgaris_, less so in _melanocephalus_. _I.

vulgaris_ is peculiar in having the feathers of the throat pointed and

lanceolate, as in the ravens.

[Illustration: _Icterus bullocki._]

In view of the difficulties attendant upon the definition of

subordinate groups among the United States _Icterinæ_, we propose to

consider them all under the single genus _Icterus_, leaving it for

some one with more ingenuity to establish satisfactory divisions into

sub-genera.[34]

The colors of the Orioles are chiefly black and yellow, or orange, the

wing sometimes marked with white. The females are generally much

duller in plumage, and the young male usually remains in immature

dress till the third year. In all the North American species the rump

is of the same color with the belly; the chin, throat, and tail,

black.

In the North American Orioles the _baltimore_ and _bullocki_ have the

tail but little graduated; _spurius_, more so; the others very

decidedly graduated. The bills of the two first mentioned are stout

and nearly straight; that of _I. melanocephalus_ quite similar. _I.

parisorum_ has the bill more attenuated, but scarcely more decurved;

in _spurius_ it is attenuated and decurved, much as in _wagleri_; this

character is strongest in _I. cucullatus_. The much graduated tail is

combined with a slender decurved bill in _I. cucullatus_ and

_wagleri_; with a straighter one in _parisorum_; with a thick, nearly

straight, one in _melanocephalus_. The arrangement, according to the

graduation of the tail, would be _baltimore_, _bullocki_, _spurius_,

_parisorum_, _wagleri_, _melanocephalus_, and _cucullatus_. According

to stoutness and curvature of bill, it would be _baltimore_,

_melanocephalus_, _bullocki_, _parisorum_, _spurius_, _wagleri_, and

_cucullatus_.

All the species have the rump and under parts yellow or orange. All

have the head entirely black, except _bullocki_, in which its sides

are orange, and _cucullatus_, which has an orange crown. All have

black on the throat. In the species with black head and neck, all have

the tails black towards the end, except _bullocki_ and _baltimore_.

The females and young males are so entirely different in colors from

the adult males, and so similar in the different species, that they

can best be distinguished by the details of form and size. The _I.

prosthemelas_ and _I. melanocephalus_ are placed, according to the

above arrangement, in different subgenera, yet the young male of the

former and the adult male of the latter are so perfectly similar in

colors as to be undistinguishable in this respect, and require careful

examination of points of external structure to be separated (see

description of _I. melanocephalus_, p. 782).

The following synopsis may help to distinguish the North American

Orioles and their nearest allies, as far as color is concerned.

[34] An attempt at division into subgenera is as follows:—

_Icterus_, bill stout, conical, the culmen and gonys nearly

straight. Tail graduated. Species: _vulgaris_, _auduboni_,

_melanocephalus_.

_Xanthornus_, bill slender, slightly decurved. Tail

graduated. Species: _wagleri_, _parisorum_, _spurius_,

_cucullatus_.

_Hyphantes_, bill stout, conical; the culmen and gonys

straight. Tail slightly rounded. Species: _baltimore_,

_bullocki_, _abeillei_.

We do not find, however, that these subgenera are very

tangible, excepting _Hyphantes_, which is rather well marked

by square tail and straight outlines of the bill, as

indicated above. The differences are really so minute, and

the characters so variable with the species, that it seems

entirely unnecessary to subdivide the genus.

Species and Varieties.

ICTERUS. Head all round deep black, sharply defined

against the yellow of the nape; wings black, with or

without white markings. Body generally, including lesser

wing-coverts, deep greenish-yellow (intense orange-red in

some South American species).

I. vulgaris. Feathers of the throat elongated and

lanceolate. Bill longer than head. Back and scapulars

black; greater coverts and tertials with much white on

outer webs; middle wing-coverts white. Rest of plumage,

including lesser coverts, chrome-yellow. Sexes alike.

_Hab._ Northern South America. Jamaica? Accidental in

southeastern United States? ? Several races.

I. melanocephalus. Feathers of the throat not elongate

and lanceolate, but soft and normal; bill shorter than

head. Back and scapulars greenish-yellow. Rest of

plumage, including lesser wing-coverts, gamboge-yellow.

Sexes alike.

Wings without any white. Wing, 4.00; tail, 4.00;

culmen, .95; tarsus, .96. _Hab._ Southern Mexico

var. _melanocephalus_.

Wings with white edgings to greater coverts,

secondaries and tertials. Wing, 4.25; tail, 4.40;

culmen, 1.10; tarsus, 1.10. _Hab._ Northern Mexico and

Rio Grande Valley of United States var. _auduboni_.

XANTHORNUS. Back, scapulars, wings, tail, and throat,

black; wings and tail with, or without, white. Rest of

plumage greenish-yellow, gamboge-yellow, orange,

orange-red, or chestnut-rufous.

A. Head and neck, all round, deep black.

_a._ Tail-feathers wholly black.

I. dominicensis. Head, neck, back, scapulars, wings,

tail, and jugulum, deep black; lesser and middle

wing-coverts, lining of the wing, anal region,

tibiæ, and rump, deep gamboge-yellow. No white on

wings or tail. Sexes similar (in all the races?).

_Abdomen and sides yellow._

Tail-coverts partially or wholly yellow. Wing,

3.25 to 3.50; Tail, 3.75 to 4.00; culmen, .80;

tarsus, .85. _Hab._ South Mexico to Costa Rica

var. _prosthemelas_.[35]

Tail-coverts uniform black. Wing, 3.75; tail,

4.50; culmen, .80; tarsus, .90. _Hab._ Mexico and

Guatemala var. _wagleri_.

_Abdomen and sides black._

Flanks and crissum yellow; upper tail-coverts

yellow. Wing, 3.50; tail, 3.50; culmen, .80;

tarsus, .85. _Hab._ Hayti var. _dominicensis_.[36]

Flanks black; crissum mostly yellow; upper

tail-coverts black. Wing, 3.75; tail, 4.00;

culmen, .93; tarsus, .85. _Hab._ Porto Rico

var. _portoricensis_.[37]

Flanks black; crissum mostly black; upper

tail-coverts black. Wing, 3.75; tail, 3.90;

culmen, .80; tarsus, 86. _Hab._ Cuba var. _hypomelas_.[38]

I. spurius. Head, neck, back, scapulars, wings, and

tail, deep black; other portions, including lesser

and middle wing-coverts, lining of wing, and the

tail-coverts, above and below, chestnut-rufous;

greater coverts and secondaries edged with dull

white, and tail-feathers margined terminally with

the same. _Female_ greenish-yellow, darker above.

_Young male_ in second year similar, but with a

black patch covering face and throat. Wing, 3.20;

tail, 3.20, its graduation, .45; culmen, .73;

tarsus, .92. _Hab._ Eastern Province of United

States; south throughout Middle America, to New

Granada.

_b._ Tail-feathers (except the two middle ones) with

their basal half yellow.

I. parisorum. Head, neck, jugulum, back, scapulars,

wings, and terminal half of tail, deep black; rest

of plumage, including lesser and middle

wing-coverts, bright lemon-yellow, approaching white

on the middle coverts; greater coverts tipped with

white, and tertials edged with the same;

tail-feathers margined terminally with the same.

Sexes very different. _Hab._ Mexico; Rio Grande

Valley and Cape St. Lucas.

B. Crown, occiput, nape, and auriculars, orange;

frontlet, lores, cheeks, chin, throat, and jugulum, deep

black.

I. cucullatus. Back, scapulars, wings, and tail, and

patch covering jugulum and throat, extending up over

lores, around eyes and across frontlet, deep black.

Other portions orange. Sexes very different.

Lesser coverts black; middle coverts white; greater

coverts tipped with white, and secondaries,

primaries, and tertials edged with the same;

tail-feathers with narrow white tips. Wing, 3.30;

tail, 4.00; culmen, .80; tarsus, .90. Sexes very

unlike. _Hab._ Southern border of Western United

States (San Bernardino, California, Camp Grant,

Arizona and Rio Grande of Texas), south through

Mexico to Guatemala; Cape St. Lucas var. _cucullatus_.

Lesser coverts gamboge-yellow; middle coverts

yellow; no white on wings or tail. Wing, 3.50; tail,

3.90; culmen, .85; tarsus, .90. _Hab._ New Granada,

Venezuela, and Trinidad var. _auricapillus_.[39]

HYPHANTES. Crown, back, scapulars, wings, and part of

tail, deep black; wing with much white. Other portions

orange or yellow. Sexes very different.

I. baltimore. Head entirely deep black; tail orange, the

feathers black at base; greater coverts broadly tipped

with white; secondaries and primaries skirted with the

same. Other portions rich, mellow orange, the rump as

intense as the breast. Wing, about 3.75; tail, 3.50;

culmen, .80; tarsus, .97.

(Specimens from Eastern United States and Middle

America with middle coverts deep orange.)

(Specimens from the Plains of Kansas, Nebraska, etc.,

with middle coverts pure white. Some eastern specimens

similar.)

I. bullocki. Head mainly black, with an orange or yellow

superciliary stripe, and a broader one beneath the eye,

cutting off the black of the throat into a narrow strip;

tail orange or yellow, the feathers with black at ends;

greater coverts with outer webs wholly white, and middle

coverts entirely white, producing a large conspicuous

longitudinal patch on the wing; tertials and secondaries

broadly edged with white, and primaries more narrowly

skirted with the same. Other portions rich orange or

yellow.

Rump grayish-orange; sides and flanks deep orange;

forehead and auriculars orange; a broad supraloral

stripe of the same. Xanthic tints deep orange, with a

reddish tinge on the breast. Wings, 4.00; tail, 3.50;

culmen, .80; tarsus, .90. _Hab._ Western Province of

United States var. _bullocki_.

Rump black; sides and flanks black; forehead and

auriculars black; no yellow or orange supraloral

stripes. Xanthic tint a very intense gamboge, without

any shade of orange. Wing, 4.00; tail, 3.50; culmen,

.75; tarsus, .85. _Hab._ Mexico var. _abeillei_.[40]

[35] _Icterus dominicensis_, var. _prosthemelas_. _Icterus

prosthemelas_, STRICKLAND, Jard. Cont. Orn. 1850, 120, pl.

lxii. _Pendulinus p._ CASSIN, Icteridæ, P. A. N. S. 1867,

56. _Pendulinus lessoni_, BONAP. Consp. I, 432, 1850.

[36] _Icterus dominicensis_, var. _dominicensis_. _Oriolus

dominicensis_, LINN. S. N. I, 163, 1766. _Pendulinus d._

CASSIN. P. A. N. S. 1867, 58. _Pendulinus flavigaster_,

VIEILL. Nouv. Dict. V, 317, 1816. _Pendulinus viridis_,

VIEILL. Nouv. Dict. V, 321, 1816?

[37] _Icterus dominicensis_, var. _portoricensis_, BRYANT,

Pr. Bost. Soc. 1866, 254. _Pendulinus portoricensis_, CASS.

P. A. N. S. 1867, 58. _Turdus ater_, GM. S. N. I, 830, 1788?

_Turdus jugularis_, LATH. Ind. Orn. I, 351, 1790?

[38] _Icterus dominicensis_, var. _hypomelas_. _Pendulinus

hypomelas_, BONAP. Consp. I, 433, 1850.—CASS. P. A. N. S.

1867, 59.

There seems to be no reason for not referring all the above

forms to one species, the differences being merely in the

relative amount of black and yellow. The greater

predominance of the former color we should expect in

specimens from the West Indies, where in this family the

melanistic tendency is so marked.

[39] _Icterus cucullatus_, var. _auricapillus_. _Icterus

auricapillus_, CASS. P. A. N. S. 1847, 382.—IB. Journ. A.

N. S. I, pl. xvi, f. 2.—IB. P. A. N. S. 1867, 60.

[40] _Icterus bullocki_, var. _abeillei_. _Xanthornus

abeillei_, LESS. Rev. Zoöl. 1839, 101. _Hyphantes a._ CASS.

P. A. N. S. 1867, 62. _? Oriolus costototl_, GM. Syst. Nat.

I, 385, 1788.

The only essential difference from _I. bullocki_ is in the

greater amount of black, it being merely more extended,

while the pattern is the same.

Icterus vulgaris, DAUDIN.

TROUPIAL.

_Oriolus icterus_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 161. _Icterus

vulgaris_, “Daudin.”—AUD. Birds Am. VII, 1844, 357, pl.

ccccxcix.—BP. Conspectus Av. 1850, 434.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am.

1858, 542.—CASS. P. A. N. S. 1867, 46. _Le troupiale

vulgaire_, BUFFON, Pl. enl. “532” (535, BP.).

SP. CHAR. Bill curved. Throat and chin with narrow pointed feathers. A

naked space around and behind the eye. Tail-feathers graduated. Head

and upper part of neck all round, and beneath from tail to upper part

of breast, interscapular region of back, wings, and tail, black. Rest

of under parts, a collar on the lower hind neck, rump, and upper

tail-coverts, yellow-orange. A broad band on the wing and outer edges

of secondaries, white. Length, 10 inches; wing, 4.50; tail, 4.50; bill

above, 1.35.

HAB. Northern South America and West Indies? Accidental on the

southern coast of the United States?

This is the largest Oriole said to be found in the United States, and

differs from the rest in its longer bill, and pointed, elongated

feathers on the throat. The bill is attenuated, and somewhat decurved.

The third quill is longest, the first quill almost the shortest of all

the primaries. The outer tail-feather is about .60 of an inch less

than the middle.

There is only a trace of whitish on the edges of the primaries. The

broad white edges to the secondaries are continuous in the folded wing

with the white on the greater coverts, the lowest row of which,

however, is black. The extreme and concealed base of the tail is

white.

One specimen has the light markings yellow, instead of orange.

This species is given by Mr. Audubon as North American, on the

strength of occasional stragglers from South America. One of the

specimens before us was received from Mr. Audubon (2,842), and is,

possibly, North American, although we doubt very much whether the

species was ever taken within our limits, except as escaped from

captivity.

An allied race (_I. longirostris_) from New Grenada has a longer and

more slender bill, and a paler, lemon-yellow color. The _I. aurantius_

of Brazil lacks the long, pointed, distinct feathers of the throat,

and is of an intensely rich orange-red color, with much the same

pattern as the present bird.

HABITS. The common Troupial of South America and some of the West

India Islands is probably only an imported species, or an accidental

visitant. It is given by Mr. Audubon in the appendix to his seventh

volume, on the strength of a specimen shot in Charleston, S. C., by

his son, John W. The bird, when first seen, was perched on the point

of the lightning-rod of Dr. Bachman’s house. A few days after others

were seen, one of which was shot, though it fell into the river and

was lost. Mr. Audubon was afterwards informed that small groups of

four or five subsequently made their appearance in the same city and

among the islands. If his information was correct, it precludes the

supposition that those which have been procured are caged birds. Yet

the Troupial is so common and so popular a bird in the cage, that its

accidental occurrence is possible in many localities it never visits

of its own accord.

This bird is common in all the northern countries of South America,

Venezuela, Guiana, Rio Negro, Northern Brazil, etc. Its occurrence in

Jamaica and the West Indies may be only accidental. It is said by

Daudin to be a common species in South America, where it associates in

large flocks, and constructs a large and pensile nest. In confinement

it becomes very easily tamed, is reconciled to a life of imprisonment,

and is very fond of those who feed and care for it. It has a loud,

clear, and ringing whistle, and a great variety of call-notes and

single or brief utterances, but rarely indulges in a continuous song.

One kept in confinement several years answered readily to the name of

_Troopy_, and always promptly responded, when thus addressed by his

mistress, in notes of unmistakable and affectionate recognition. He

was very fond of his liberty, and used his sharp bill with such effect

that it was difficult to keep him in his cage. When at large he never

attempted to escape, but returned upon being called. He, however,

acquired such a mortal antipathy to children, attacked them so

fiercely when at large, and his sharp bill was so dangerous a weapon,

that it was found very necessary to keep him a close prisoner.

The eggs of this species measure 1.02 inches in length by .88 of an

inch in breadth; they are a rounded, obtuse oval in shape. Their

ground-color is a reddish-drab, and they are very generally blotched

with markings of a deep claret-brown and faint purple, the markings

being deeper and larger at one end.

Icterus melanocephalus, var. auduboni, GIRAUD.

AUDUBON’S ORIOLE.

_Icterus auduboni_, GIRAUD, Sixteen New Species Texas Birds, 1841

(not paged).—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 542.—CASSIN, Pr. A. N.

S. 1867, 53. _Xanthornus melanocephalus_, BON. Consp. 1850, 434

(not the description of the young). _Icterus melanocephalus_,

CASSIN, Ill. I, V, 1854, 137, pl. xxi (the description, but

perhaps not the figure).

SP. CHAR. Bill stout; upper and lower outlines very little curved

downwards. Tail much graduated. Head and neck all round (this color

extending down on the throat), tail, and wings black; rest of body,

under wing-coverts, and middle and lesser upper coverts, yellow; more

olivaceous on the back. An interrupted band across the ends of the

greater wing-coverts, with the terminal half of the edges of the

quills, white. Supposed female similar, but the colors less vivid.

Length, 9.25; wing, 4.00; tail, 4.65; tarsus, 1.10.

HAB. Valley of the Lower Rio Grande of Texas, southward; Oaxaca (SCL.

1859, 38); Xalapa (SCL. 132); Vera Cruz (temperate regions;

SUMICHRAST, M. B. S.).

This bird is perhaps rather a local race (larger as more boreal) of

_I. melanocephalus_[41] of Southern Mexico. The differences are

indicated in the foot-note.

The adult male of this species can be distinguished from the young

male of _I. prosthemelas_ only by stouter and less decurved bill,

stronger feet, and black instead of yellow middle wing-coverts.

[Illustration: PLATE XXXV.

1. Icterus auduboni. ♂ Tamaulipas, Mex., 4063.

2. ” wagleri. ♂ Guat., 8089.

3. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus. ♀ Nevada, 53596.

4. ” ferrugineus. ♂ Pa., 1322.

5. Icterus baltimore. ♂ Ft. Garry, 27046.

6. ” cucullatus. ♂ Tamaulipas, Mex., 4066.

7. ” parisorum. ♂ N. Leon, Mex., 4056.

8. Sturnus vulgaris. ♂ France, 19020.]

HABITS. This handsome and rather recent addition to our fauna is a

Northern Mexican species, which extends north to the valley of the Rio

Grande and into Texas, from various localities in which it has been

procured. Lt. D. N. Couch, who found this species common from the

Lower Rio Grande to the Sierra Madre, speaks of the strong mutual

attachment shown by the sexes. He describes its song as soft and

melancholy, and the notes as resembling _peut-pou-it_. The sweetness

of its notes renders it a favorite as a caged bird. In the State of

Vera Cruz this bird is given by Sumichrast as inhabiting the temperate

regions, and as there having exclusively their centre of propagation.

They are very common in the district of Orizaba, where they breed.

Their common name is _Calandria_, a name also given, without

discrimination, to four or five other species of _Icteri_ common in

Vera Cruz. Mr. Pease, in 1847, observed either this species or the

_melanocephalus_ at Jalapa, and in the neighborhood of the city of

Mexico, in considerable numbers. This bird was first described and

brought to notice as belonging to our fauna, by Mr. Giraud, in 1841.

Since then, Mr. John H. Clark, zoölogist on the Mexican Boundary

Survey, obtained several specimens from the Lower Rio Grande. It was

first seen by him near Ringgold Barracks. It was not abundant, and its

quiet manners and secluded habits prevented it from being very

conspicuous. It was most frequently observed by him feeding on the

fruit of the hackberry, but whenever approached, while thus feeding,

it always showed signs of uneasiness, and soon after sought refuge in

some place of greater concealment.

Usually pairs were to be seen keeping close together, apparently

preferring the thick foliage found on the margin of ponds, or in the

old bed of the river. They did not communicate with each other by any

note, and Mr. Clark was struck with their remarkable silence. Their

habits seemed to him very different from those of any other Oriole

with which he was acquainted.

From the papers of Lieutenant Couch, quoted by Mr. Cassin, we learn

that these birds were seen by him, March 3, at Santa Rosalio, eight

leagues from Matamoras. They were in pairs, and both sexes were very

shy and secluded, seeking insects on the prickly pear, or among the

low mimosa-trees, seeming to be never at rest, but ever on the lookout

for their favorite food.

While at Charco Escondido, farther in the interior of Tamaulipas,

Lieutenant Couch met with a pair of these birds, and having brought

down the male bird with his gun, the female flew to a neighboring

tree, apparently unaware of her loss. She soon, however, observed his

fall, and endeavored to recall him to her side with notes uttered in a

strain of such exquisite sadness that he could scarcely believe them

uttered by a bird; and so greatly did they excite his sympathy, that

he almost resolved to desist from further ornithological collections.

He adds that he never heard the lay of any songster of the feathered

tribe expressed more sweetly than that of the present species. At

Monterey he found it a favorite cage-bird. The female also sings, but

her notes are less powerful than those of the male. Generally the

flight of this bird was low and rapid, and it seemed to prefer the

shade of trees. It was observed almost invariably in pairs, and the

male and female showed for each other great tenderness and solicitude.

The eggs of this species measure .90 of an inch in length by .70 in

breadth. Their ground-color is a light drab or a dull purplish-white,

scattered over which are faint markings of a subdued purple, blending

imperceptibly with the ground, and above these markings are dots and

irregular zigzag lines of dark brown, and darker purple, almost

running into black.

[41] _Icterus melanocephalus_, GRAY. _Psarocolius

melanocephalus_, WAGLER, Isis, 1829, 756. _Icterus

melanocephalus_, GRAY, Genera.—SCLATER, Pr. Zoöl. Soc.

1858, 97.—CASSIN, Pr. A. N. S. 1867, 53.—BAIRD, Birds N.

Am. 1858, 543. _Xanthornus melanocephalus_, BON. Consp.

1850, 434 (description of young only). _? Icterus

graduacauda_, LESSON, Rev. Zoöl. 1839, 105.

SP. CHAR. Similar to _I. auduboni_, but without any white

whatever on the wing. Head and neck all round, wings,

scapulars, and tail, uniform pure black. Rest of body,

including inside of wing and tibia and the lesser

wing-coverts, orange-yellow; clouded with olivaceous-green

on the back, less so on the rump. Bill and legs plumbeous,

the former whitish at base. Length, 7.70; wing, 3.75; tail,

4.80. _Hab._ Warm parts of Mexico.

Very like the _auduboni_, but smaller, the bill much

stouter, shorter, and the culmen more curved. The third

quill is longest; the fourth, fifth, and second successively

a little shorter; the first and seventh about equal. The

black of the head and neck comes farther behind and on the

sides than in _auduboni_. The wings are totally destitute of

the white edges of quills and coverts as seen in _auduboni_,

and the middle coverts are black instead of pure yellow. The

tail, too, is entirely black.

Icterus parisorum, BONAP.

SCOTT’S ORIOLE.

_Icterus parisorum_, (“BON. Acad. Bonon. 1836.”)—BP. Pr. Zoöl. Soc.

V, 1837, 109.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 544, pl. lvii, f. 1;

Mex. B. II, Birds, 19, pl. xix, f. 1.—CASSIN, Pr. 1867,

54.—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 276. _Xanthornus parisorum_,

IB. Conspectus, 1850, 434. _Icterus melanochrysura_, LESSON,

Rev. Zoöl. 1839, 105.—_Icterus scotti_, COUCH, Pr. A. N. Sc.

Phil. VII, April, 1854, 66 (Coahuila).

SP. CHAR. Bill attenuated; not much decurved; tail moderately

graduated. Head and neck all round, breast, interscapular region,

wings, and tail, black. Under parts generally, hinder part of back to

the tail, middle and lesser upper, and whole of lower wing-coverts,

and base of the tail-feathers, gamboge-yellow; a band across the ends

of the greater coverts, with the edges of the inner secondaries and

tertiaries, white. Length, 8.25; extent, 11.75; wing, 4.00; tail,

3.75; tarsus, .95.

_Female._ Olivaceous above, the back with obsolete dusky streaks; rump

and under parts yellowish, clouded with gray. Tail brownish-olive on

upper surface, more yellow beneath; wings with two white bands.

HAB. Valley of the Rio Grande; south to Guatemala. In Texas, found on

the Pecos. Cape St. Lucas. Oaxaca, winter (SCL. 1858, 303); Orizaba

(SCL. 1860, 251); Vera Cruz, temp. and alpine (SUM. M. B. S. I, 553).

The bill is slender and attenuated, very little decurved, much less so

than in _I. cucullatus_, slenderer and a little more decurved than in

_I. baltimore_. The tail is moderately graduated, the outer feather

.45 of an inch less than the middle.

In this species the black feathers of the neck, except below, have a

subterminal bar of yellow; elsewhere it is wanting. The black of the

breast comes a little posterior to the anterior extremity of the

folded wing. The posterior feathers in the yellow patch on the

shoulders are tinged with white. The white in the bar across the ends

of the greater coverts is confined mainly to the terminal quarter of

an inch of the outer web. In the full plumage, there is only a faint

trace of white on the edges of the primaries. The yellow of the base

of the tail only extends on the middle feather as far as the end of

the upper tail-coverts; on the three outer, it reaches to within an

inch and a quarter of the end of the tail.

An immature male has the yellow more tinged with green, the black

feathers of the head and back olivaceous with a black spot.

Specimens vary much in size; the more northern being the larger.

_Icterus wagleri_[42] is an allied species found just south of the Rio

Grande by Lieutenant Couch, but not yet detected within our limits.

HABITS. Notwithstanding the apparent abundance of the species at Cape

St. Lucas, and also in Northern Mexico along our entire border, as far

as New Mexico and Texas, our knowledge of its history still remains

quite incomplete. A single specimen was obtained in Western Texas on

the Pecos River, by Captain Pope, in 1856. Others were obtained by

Lieutenant Couch, April, 1853, at Santa Catarina, in Mexico. They were

first seen by him in the vicinity of Monterey. They were found to be

generally of secluded habits. Their song, consisting of three or four

notes, is said to be both rich and melodious.

In the State of Vera Cruz, this species is given by Sumichrast as

occurring in both the temperate and the alpine regions. Its common

name is _Calandria india_. They are said by him to occur chiefly in

the temperate parts, where they breed, but not to be exclusively

confined there, for they are also found in the alpine region to the

height of at least five thousand feet, near Orizaba, and on the

plateau at even a higher elevation. Dr. Cooper saw a bird at Fort

Mohave, in April, which he supposed to be this bird, but he was not

able to assure himself of the fact, by obtaining it.

Mr. Xantus found this species very abundant during his stay at Cape

St. Lucas, and procured a number of specimens of the birds and of

their nests and eggs. From his brief notes we gather that the nests

are open, and are not pensile. One, found May 22, was built in a bunch

of moss hanging down from an old cactus. Another was made in a bunch

of hops, suspended from a cactus. A third was placed in a bunch of

weeds growing out from a crevice in a perpendicular rock. Another,

found May 29, was built in a small dead tree, overhung with vines.

This nest was about five feet from the ground. A nest containing four

young birds was found placed in a bunch of moss, hanging out of a

crevice in a rock. These instances serve to show the general character

of the position of their nests. Without being pensile they are usually

resting upon pendent branches, and are not placed at great elevations.

The eggs measure .90 of an inch in length by .65 in breadth. Their

shape is an oblong-oval, and they are obtuse at either end. Their

ground-color is a dull white, with a purplish or a bluish tint. They

are variously marked, in different eggs, with small blotches and finer

dottings of a light purple, purplish-brown, darker purple, and even

black.

[42] _Icterus wagleri_, SCLATER, Pr. Zoöl. Soc. 1857,

7.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 545, pl. lvii, f. 2.—IB. Mex.

B. II, Birds, 19, pl. xix, f. 2.—CASS. Pr. 1867, 55.

_Psarocolius flavigaster_, WAGLER, Isis, 1829, 756 (not of

VIEILLOT). _Pendulinus dominicensis_, BP. Consp. 1850, 432

(not of LINN.).

SP. CHAR. Bill much attenuated and considerably decurved.

Tail considerably graduated. Head and neck all round, back

(the color extending above over the whole interscapular

region), wings, and tail, including the whole of the lower

coverts and the tips of the upper, black. Lesser and middle

upper, with lower wing-coverts, hinder part of back, rump,

and under parts generally (except tail-coverts),

orange-yellow. Length, 9.50; extent, 12.00; wing, 4.50;

tail, 4.25; tarsus, 1.15.

_Young or female._ Above yellowish-green; more yellow on

head; throat black; sides of neck and body beneath dull

yellow. Wings dark brown, the coverts edged with white;

middle tail-feathers brownish-black; outer yellowish-green.

Length about 8 inches.

Younger birds are entirely dull olive-green above; beneath

greenish-yellow.

_Hab._ Northeastern Mexico to Rio Grande Valley; south to

Guatemala. Oaxaca, Jan. and March (SCL. 1859, 381);

Guatemala (SCL. Ibis, I, 20); Vera Cruz, hot region,

resident (SUMICHRAST, M. B. S. I, 552).

A close ally, and perhaps only a race, of this species, is

the _I. prosthemelas_, STRICKL., which differs in smaller

size, and in having the lower tail-coverts yellow instead of

black (see synoptical table, p. 778).

HABITS. This fine species appears to be an abundant bird

from Northern Mexico throughout that republic and Central

America to Costa Rica. I am not aware that any specimens

have been procured actually within our territory. It was met

with at Saltillo, in the state of Coahuila, Mexico, by

Lieutenant Couch, where only a single specimen was obtained.

It was taken at the rancho of _Ojo Caliente_, or Hot

Springs. It was quite shy and difficult of approach. Like

all the other Orioles, it appeared to be quite fond of the

palm-tree known as the Spanish bayonet. It is given by

Sumichrast as occurring in the department of Vera Cruz,

where it appears to be confined to the hot region. It is

quite common in the district of Cordova, to the height of

about three thousand feet.

Mr. Salvin states this to be the only _Icterus_ found by him

about Dueñas, where it was not uncommon. In a letter written

by this naturalist, published in the Ibis of October, 1859,

he mentions having taken the nest and eggs of this species.

The structure, though of the same character,—a hanging

nest,—is very different from that of _I. gularis_, the

common species on the Yzabal road. The nest has none of the

depth of the other, but is comparatively shallow.

Icterus spurius, BON.

ORCHARD ORIOLE.

_Oriolus spurius_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 162.—GM. I, 1788, 389

(very inaccurate description; only identified by the

references). _Icterus spurius_, BON. Obs. on Nom. Wils. 1825,

No. 44.—AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 221; V, 485, pl. xlii.—IB.

Birds Am. IV, 1842, 46, pl. ccxix.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858,

547.—SAMUELS, 346. _Oriolus varius_, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I,

1766, 390. _Turdus ater_, GM. Syst. 1788, I; 1788, 83. _Oriolus

castaneus_, LATHAM, Ind. Orn. I, 1790, 181 (same citations as

_O. varius_, GM.). _Turdus jugularis_, LATHAM, Ind. Orn. I,

1790, 361 (same citations as _Turdus ater_, GM.). _Yphantes

solitaria_, VIEILLOT ♂. “_Pendulinus nigricollis_, VIEILL.

♂—_viridis_, IB.” _Oriolus mutatus_, WILSON, Am. Orn. I, 1808,

64, pl. iv, f. 1-4. _Xanthornus affinis_, LAWRENCE, Ann. N. Y.

Lyc. N. H. V, May, 1851, 113 (small race from Texas).

_Pendulinus s._, CASS. Pr. 1867, 61. _Pendulinus affinis_,

CASS. Pr. 1867, 61.

SP. CHAR. Bill slender, attenuated, considerably decurved; tail

moderately graduated. _Male_, three years. Head and neck all round,

wings, and interscapular region of back, with tail-feathers, black.

Rest of under parts, lower part of back to tail, and lesser upper

wing-coverts, with the lower one, brownish-chestnut. A narrow line

across the wing, and the extreme outer edges of quills, white.

_Female._ Uniform greenish-yellow beneath, olivaceous above, and

browner in the middle of the back; two white bands on the wings. Young

male of two years like the female, but with a broad black patch from

the bill to the upper part of the breast, this color extending along

the base of the bill so as to involve the eye and all anterior to it

to the base of the bill, somewhat as in _I. cucullatus_. Length of

Pennsylvania male specimens, 7.25; wing, 3.25.

HAB. United States from the Atlantic to the high Central Plains,

probably throughout Texas; south to Guatemala. Xalapa (SCL. 1859,

365); Cordova (SCL. 1856, 301); Guatemala (SCL. Ibis, I, 20; LAWR. N.

Y. Lyc. IX, 104); Rio Atrato (CASS. P. A. N. S. 1860, 140); Costa Rica

(CABAN. J. 1861, 8); Panama (LAWR. N. Y. Lyc. 1861, 331); Cuba

(GUNDLACH); Veragua (SALVIN, 1867, 142); Vera Cruz, winter (SUM. M. B.

S. I,); Mazatlan.

This species varies greatly in size with its geographical

distribution.

Winter specimens from Mexico have the black obscured by brownish

borders to the feathers.

HABITS. The Orchard Oriole is found abundant throughout most of the

United States, from the Atlantic to the Missouri Valley, and on the

southwest to the valley of the Rio Grande. Mr. J. A. Allen met with

individuals of this species as far west as the base of the Rocky

Mountains, in Colorado, which he regards as the extreme western limit.

It is a very rare summer visitant in New England, though found even as

far eastward as Calais, Me. It was not found in Western Maine by

Verrill, nor am I aware of its having been met with in either New

Hampshire or Vermont. Mr. Allen states that a few pairs breed every

season near Springfield, in Western Massachusetts. I have never met

with it in the eastern part of the State, but others have been more

fortunate, and it is probable that a few visit us each season.

In Texas Mr. Dresser found this species very common at San Antonio

during the summer, arriving there quite early in April. He procured a

number of their nests, all of which were made of light-colored

flexible grasses, and suspended from the upper branches of the

mesquite-trees. He also found them breeding near Houston, and on

Galveston Island. He describes them as much smaller than birds from

the Northern States. This smaller race Mr. Lawrence has regarded as a

distinct species, to which he gives the name of _affinis_. It has been

traced as far to the west as Fort Riley in Kansas, and Fort Lookout in

Nebraska. It winters in Guatemala, where it is very abundant at that

season. Mr. James McLeannan killed it as far south as Panama.

Dr. Elliott Coues considers this bird as rare and chiefly migrant in

South Carolina; but Mr. H. S. Rodney (Naturalist, Jan., 1872) found

them quite numerous at Camden, in that State, in the summer of 1871.

He met with five nests between June 28 and July 19, and has no doubt

he could have taken many more, as he counted at least fifteen

different pairs. From the fact that Dr. Coues did not meet with any

nest at Columbia, only thirty miles distant, Mr. Rodney infers that

this Oriole is very partial to certain favored localities, as is also

the Baltimore.

The Orchard Oriole is an active, sprightly, and very lively species,

and possesses a very peculiar and somewhat remarkable song. Its notes

are very rapidly enunciated, and are both hurried and energetic. Some

writers speak of the song as confused, but this attribute is not in

the utterance of the song, the musician manifesting anything but

confusion in the rapid and distinct enunciation of his gushing notes.

These may be too quick in their utterance for the listener to follow,

but they are wonderful both for their rapidity and their harmony. His

performance consists of shrill and lively notes, uttered with an

apparent air of great agitation, and they are quite as distinct and

agreeable, though neither so full nor so rich, as are those of the

more celebrated Golden Robin.

In the Central States, from New York to North Carolina, these birds

are not only very abundant, but very generally diffused. Hardly an

orchard or a garden of any size can be found without them. They seem

to prefer apple-trees for their abode, and for the construction of

their nests. These structures, though essentially different, are, in

their style of architecture, quite as curiously wrought and ingenious

as those of the Baltimore. They are suspended from small twigs, often

at the very extremity of the branches. In Pennsylvania they are

usually formed externally of a peculiar kind of long, tough, and

flexible grass. This material is woven through and through in a very

wonderful manner, and with as much neatness and intricacy as if

actually sewed with a needle. They are hemispherical in shape, open at

the top, and generally about four inches in breadth and three deep.

The cavity has a depth and a width of about two inches.

Wilson states that, having had the curiosity to detach one of these

fibres of dried grass from the nest, he found it thirteen inches in

length, and that, in that distance, it had been hooked through and

returned no less than thirty-four times! In this manner it was passed

entirely around the nest. The nests are occasionally lined with wool

or the down of seeds. The external portions are strongly fastened to

several twigs, so that they may be blown about by the wind without

being upset.

Wilson also remarks that he observed that when these nests are built

in the long pendent branches of the weeping-willow, where they are

liable to much greater motion, though formed of the same materials,

they are always made much deeper and of slighter texture. He regards

this as a manifestation of a remarkable intelligence, almost

equivalent to reason. The willow, owing to the greater density of its

foliage, affords better shelter, and is preferred on that account, and

owing to the great sweep, in the wind, of the branches, the eggs would

be liable to be rolled out if the nest were of the usual depth; hence

this adaptation to such positions.

The food of the Orchard Oriole is almost exclusively insects. Of these

it consumes a large number, and with them it also feeds its young.

Most of these are of the kinds most obnoxious to the husbandman,

preying upon the foliage, destroying the fruit, and otherwise injuring

the trees, and their destroyers render an incalculable amount of

benefit to the gardens they favor with their presence. At the same

time they are entirely innocent of injury to crops of any description,

and I cannot find that any accusations or expressions of suspicion

have been raised against them. They seem to be, therefore, general

favorites, and, wherever protected, evince their appreciation of this

good-will by their familiarity and numbers.

The female sits upon her eggs fourteen days, and the young remain in

the nest about ten days longer. They are supposed to have occasionally

two broods in a season, as nests with eggs are found the last of July.

They are said to arrive in Pennsylvania about the first of May, and to

leave before the middle of September.

According to Wilson they are easily raised from the nest, and become

very tame and familiar. One that he kept through the winter, when two

months old whistled with great clearness and vivacity.

All the nests of this species that I have seen from Georgia, Florida,

Louisiana, or Texas, have no lining, but are wholly made of one

material, a flexible kind of reed or grass.

The sociability of this species is one of its most marked

characteristics. Audubon says that he has known no less than nine

nests in the same enclosure, and all the birds living together in

great harmony.

A nest of this bird, taken in Berlin, Conn., by Mr. Brandigee, has a

diameter and a height of four inches. Its cavity is three inches in

depth, and varies from three to three and a half in diameter, being

widest at the centre, or half-way between the top and the base. It is

entirely homogeneous, having been elaborately and skilfully woven of

long green blades of grass. The inside is lined with animal wool, bits

of yarn, and intermingled with a wooly substance of entirely vegetable

origin. It was built from the extremity of the branch of an

apple-tree.

An egg of this species, from Washington, measures .85 of an inch in

length by .62 in breadth. The ground is a pale bluish-white, blotched

with a pale purple, and dashed, at the larger end, with a few deep

markings of dark purplish-brown. An egg from New Mexico is similar,

but measures .79 of an inch by .54. Both are oblong oval, and pointed

at one end.

Icterus cucullatus, SWAINSON.

HOODED ORIOLE.

_Icterus cucullatus_, SWAINSON, Philos. Mag. I, 1827,

436.—LAWRENCE, Ann. N. Y. Lyc. V, May, 1851, 116 (first

introduced into fauna of United States).—CASSIN, Ill. I, II,

1853, 42, pl. viii.—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 275.—BAIRD,

Birds N. Am. 1858, 546. _Pendulinus cucullatus_, BON. Consp.

1850, 433.—CASS. Pr. 1867, 60.

SP. CHAR. Both mandibles much curved. Tail much graduated. Wings, a

rather narrow band across the back, tail, and a patch starting as a

narrow frontal band, involving the eyes, anterior half of cheek, chin,

and throat, and ending as a rounded patch on the upper part of breast,

black. Rest of body orange-yellow. Two bands on the wing and the edges

of the quills white. _Female_ without the black patch of the throat;

the upper parts generally yellowish-green, brown on the back, beneath

yellowish. Length, 7.50; wing, 3.25.

HAB. Valley of Lower Rio Grande, southward; Tucson, Arizona (DR.

PALMER); Lower California, Cordova (SCL. 1856, 300); Guatemala? (SCL.

Ibis I, 20); Cuba? (LAWR. Ann. VII, 1860, 267); San Bernardino,

California (COOPER, P. Cal., etc. 1861, 122); Vera Cruz hot region

(SUM. M. B. S. I, 553); Mazatlan.

The orange varies greatly in tint and intensity with the individual;

sometimes it is deep orange-red; often clear dull yellow, but more

frequently of an oily orange.

This species is closely allied to the _I. aurocapillus_ of South

America, but differs in having black, not yellow, shoulders, and in

the white markings on the wings.

HABITS. The Hooded Oriole is essentially a Mexican species, though it

also extends northward into Texas at the Rio Grande, and into Southern

California and Arizona. It was not noticed by Dr. Coues in Arizona,

but Lieutenant Charles Bendire found it breeding near Tucson in the

summer of 1872. It is abundant at Cape St. Lucas. Dr. Cooper found

that this species arrived at San Diego about April 22, where they were

not rare for a fortnight afterwards, and all then retired into the

warmer interior valleys, where he has seen them as far to the north as

Los Angeles. While migrating, they were generally silent.

Captain McCown found it quite common on the Rio Grande, where it rears

its young. When met with in the woods and far away from the abodes of

men, it seemed shy and disposed to conceal itself. Yet a pair of these

birds were his constant visitors, morning and evening. They came to

the vicinity of his quarters—an unfinished building—at Ringgold

Barracks, and at last became so tame and familiar that they would pass

from some ebony-trees, that stood near by, to the porch, clinging to

the shingles and rafters, frequently in an inverted position, prying

into the holes and crevices, apparently in search of spiders and such

insects as could be found there. From this occupation they would

occasionally desist, to watch his movements. He never could induce

them to partake of the food he offered them.

Lieutenant Couch found this species common in the states of Tamaulipas

and New Leon. He found their nests generally on or under the tops of

the palm known as the Spanish bayonet.

This species is given by Mr. Sumichrast as one of the birds of Vera

Cruz, where it is exclusively an inhabitant of the hot region, and

where it is rarely found above an elevation of eighteen hundred feet.

These birds were found quite abundant at Cape St. Lucas, Lower

California, by Mr. Xantus, by whom a number of their nests and eggs

were obtained. The following brief memoranda in regard to a few of

these nests will serve to show their general position:—“Nest and two

eggs, found May 20, about ten feet from the ground, woven to a small

aloe, in a bunch of the _Acacia prosopis_. Nest and two eggs, found

May 22, on a dry tree overhung with hops. Nest and one egg, found May

30, on an acacia, about fifteen feet from the ground. Nest with young,

found on an aloe four feet high. Nest and eggs, found on a moss

hanging out of a perpendicular bluff, on the sea-coast. Nest and eggs

found on a _Yucca angustifolia_, on its stem, six feet from the

ground. Nest and two eggs, found in a convolvulus, on a perpendicular

rock fifty feet high. Nest and three eggs, found on an acacia,

twenty-five feet high.”

The eggs of this species vary somewhat in shape, some being obtuse and

more spherical, others more pointed and oblong. They vary in length

from .92 to .88 of an inch, and from .68 to .65 of an inch in breadth.

They have a clear white ground, marbled and blotched with large

dashes, dots, and irregular zigzag lines of purple, brown, and black,

chiefly disposed around the larger end. In those where the spots are

more diffused they are blended with obscure blotches of a faint

lavender.

Icterus baltimore, DAUDIN.

BALTIMORE ORIOLE; GOLDEN ROBIN; HANG-NEST.

_Oriolus baltimore_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 162.—WILSON, Am.

Orn. I, 1808, 23, pl. i.—IB. VI, 1812, pl. liii. “_Icterus

baltimore_, DAUD.”—AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 66; V, 1839, 278,

pls. xii. and ccccxxiii.—IB. Birds Am. IV, 1842, 37, pl.

ccxvii.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 548.—SCLATER & SALVIN, Ex.

Orn. I, 69, 188 (diagnosis).—SAMUELS, 348. _Yphantes

baltimore_, VIEILLOT, Gal. des Ois. I, 1824, 124, pl. lxxxvii.

_Psarocolius baltimore_, WAGLER, Syst. Av. 1825, No. 26. _Le

Baltimore_, BUFF. pl. enl. 506, f. 1. _Hyphantes b._, CASS. Pr.

1867, 62.

SP. CHAR. Tail nearly even. Head all round and to middle of back,

scapulars, wings, and upper surface of tail, black; rest of under

parts, rump, upper tail-coverts, and lesser wing-coverts, with

terminal portion of tail-feathers (except two innermost), orange-red.

Edges of wing-quills, with a band across the tips of the greater

coverts, white. Length, 7.50 inches; wing, 3.75.

The female much less brilliant in color; the black of the head and

back generally replaced by brownish-yellow, purer on the throat; each

feather with a black spot.

HAB. From Atlantic coast to the high Central Plains, and in their

borders; south to Panama. Xalapa (SCL. 1856, 365); Guatemala (SCL.

Ibis, I, 20); Cuba (CABAN. J. IV, 10); Costa Rica (CABAN. J. 1861, 7;

LAWR. IX, 104); Panama (LAWR. N. Y. Lyc. 1861, 331); Veragua (SALV.

1867, 142); Mosquito Coast (SCL. & SALV. 1867, 279); Vera Cruz

(autumn, SUM. M. B. S. I, 553).

A young bird is soft, dull orange beneath, palest on the throat, and

tinged along the sides with olive; above olive, with an orange cast on

the rump and tail, the latter being without any black; centres of

dorsal feathers blackish; wings blackish, with two broad white bands

across coverts, and broad edges of white to the tertials.

Specimens collected in Western Kansas, by Mr. J. A. Allen, have the

middle wing-coverts pure white instead of deep orange, and, according

to that naturalist, have more slender bills than Eastern birds. Mr.

Allen thinks they form a race peculiar to the plains; but in examining

the series of specimens in the museum of the Smithsonian Institution,

we have failed to discover any constancy in this respect. A male

(5,356, Farm Isl., May 30) from Nebraska has the middle wing-coverts

pure white,—the lesser, clear orange; the black throat-stripe is

almost separated from the black of the cheeks by the extension forward

of the orange on each side of it, only the tips of the feathers being

black.

No. 61,192 ♂, Mount Carmel, Ill. (August 12), has the throat-stripe

even more isolated, being connected anteriorly for only about a

quarter of an inch with the black of the jaw; there is also a distinct

indication of an orange superciliary stripe, mostly concealed,

however, by the black tips of the feathers. The middle coverts, like

the lesser, are pure plain orange.

A male from Cape May, N. J. (59,458, May), has the middle coverts

white, and the lesser wholly uniform black. The head, however, is as

in typical specimens.

In a series of twenty adult spring males from Carlisle, Penn., seven

have the middle coverts more or less white. But it is noticed that all

these specimens with white middle coverts have invariably less intense

colors than those with orange shoulders, while in the Kansas specimens

the other colors are of the brightest character.

A male from Washington (12,317, May 6) is exactly similar.

HABITS. The familiar Baltimore Oriole, the Golden Robin of the New

England States, is found throughout eastern North America, at various

seasons, from Texas to the British Possessions, and from the Atlantic

to the plains. It is, however, for the most part, not common beyond

the Mississippi River. It has been traced as far to the north as the

55th parallel of latitude, and probably breeds more or less abundantly

in every State east of the Mississippi River. It is rare in Florida,

and is not given by Mr. Allen as known to that State, but I have

received its nest and eggs from Monticello in West Florida. The

Smithsonian Museum embraces specimens from as far west as Powder River

and the Yellowstone.

Mr. J. A. Allen (Am. Naturalist, June, 1872) mentions finding this

species at the base of the Rocky Mountains, in Colorado, which he

regards as its extreme western limit. In Kansas he found this species,

as well as the Orchard Oriole, abundant, the Baltimore indulging in a

dialect so different from that of its northern relatives as often to

puzzle him to make out to what bird its strange notes belonged. Its

colors were also unusually bright in all the specimens he examined.

Mr. Boardman gives it as very rare at Calais, but Professor Verrill

thinks it common in Western Maine. It is abundant throughout the

southern and central portions of Vermont, and New Hampshire, and in

all New York. It is a common summer resident at Hamilton, Ontario,

where it arrives the second week in May. It was found on the plains of

the Saskatchewan by Captain Blakiston.

Mr. Dresser states it to have been abundant at Matamoras, where it was

breeding, though he was too late for its eggs. He saw none at San

Antonio, but Mr. J. H. Clark was more fortunate. Numbers of them, he

states, were seen nesting in the mesquite-trees on the prairies, at

which time they were very musical, having sometimes as many as three

nests in the same tree. These were all built of fine grass, among the

top branches, and interwoven with the leaves. Dr. Woodhouse found it

quite common in the Indian Territory and in Eastern Texas. Specimens

of this species were taken by Mr. James M. Leannan, at Panama, which

is presumed to be the most southern locality on record for this bird.

The Baltimore Oriole is one of the most common birds nearly throughout

New England. Gay and brilliant in plumage, interesting and lively in

manners and habits, and a vocalist of rare power, with pathos, beauty,

and variety in his notes, this bird has been, and would still be, a

great favorite, but for its transgressions among the pea-vines of our

gardens. He makes his appearance with exemplary punctuality, seeming

regardless of the prematureness or tardiness of the season. Rarely

does the 10th of May pass without the sound of his welcome notes, and

rarely, if ever, does he come sooner.

Their period of song is not a long one, but soon terminates, as family

cares increase and the tender broods require an undivided attention.

Early in July this Oriole ceases to favor the world with those

remarkable notes that seldom fail to attract attention by their

peculiarity, and to excite admiration by their rich and full-toned

melody.

When the male Baltimores first arrive, they come unaccompanied by

their mates. At this time their notes are unusually loud, and their

voices seem shrill. Their song appears to partake somewhat of the

nature of tender lamentations and complaining. At this period they are

very active and restless, moving rapidly through the branches of the

trees, just opening into leaf and blossom, searching busily for the

insects which then form their principal food. When, a few days after

their arrival, they are joined by the females, the whole character of

their song changes, which becomes a lower-toned, richer, and more

pleasing refrain. During their love-season their resonant and

peculiarly mellow whistle resounds in every garden and orchard, along

the highways of our villages, and in the parks and public squares of

our cities.

Nuttall, generally very felicitous in expressing by verbal equivalents

the notes of various species of our song-birds, describes the notes of

its song as running thus, _Tshippe-tshayia-too-too-tshippe-tshippe-too-too_,

with several other very similar modifications and variations. But

these characters give a very inadequate idea of their song. It must be

heard to be appreciated, and no description can do justice to its

beauties. The notes are of an almost endless variety, and each

individual has his own special variations. The female, too, has her

own peculiar and very pretty notes, which she incessantly warbles as

she weaves her curiously elaborate nest.

To agriculturists this Oriole renders immense service in the

destruction of vast numbers of highly injurious insects; among the

most noteworthy of these are the common canker-worm and the tent

caterpillars, both great pests to orchards. These benefits far more

than compensate for its annoying attacks on the pods of esculent peas,

the only sin that can rightfully be brought against it, except,

perhaps, the acts of theft committed against other birds, in seizing

upon and appropriating to it materials collected by smaller birds for

their nests.

The Baltimore Orioles are devoted, faithful, and courageous parents,

resolutely defending their young when in danger, and exposing

themselves fearlessly to danger and to death rather than forsake them.

If their young are taken and caged, the parents follow them, and, if

permitted, will continue to feed them.

Mr. Ridgway mentions an instance where the female entered her nest

while he was in the act of severing the limb from which it was

suspended, and persisted in remaining there until the nest had been

cut off and taken into the house. One of these birds, reared from the

nest by a family in Worcester, Mass., became perfectly domesticated,

was allowed full liberty, and even when taken by the married daughter

of its mistress, perched on her finger, through the open grounds to

her own house, made no attempt to escape. It delighted in occasional

acts of mischief, especially in putting its pointed bill through the

meshes of the lace curtains, and then opening its beak, seeming to

enjoy the sound produced by tearing the threads.

In the construction of its nest the Oriole displays great skill and

ingenuity. This structure is a pendulous and nearly cylindrical pouch,

suspended from the extremity of some hanging branch. It is constructed

by means of the interweaving of the natural filaments of several

flaxlike plants into a homogeneous fabric of great strength, and

admirably adapted to its purpose. A nest of this species from West

Florida, as well as the one figured by Audubon, was made entirely of

the long moss (_Tillandsia usneoides_) so abundant in Southern

forests.

The young birds, before they can fly, climb to the edge of the nest,

and are liable, in sudden tempests, to be thrown out. If uninjured,

they are good climbers, and by means of wings, bill, and claws, are

often able to reach places of safety. In one instance a fledgling,

which had broken both legs, and was placed in a basket to be fed by

its parents, managed, by wings and bill, to raise itself to the rim,

and in a few days took its departure.

The parents feed their young chiefly with caterpillars, which they

apparently swallow and then disgorge for this purpose. In confinement

they feed readily on soaked bread and fruit, and are especially fond

of figs. They are soon reconciled to confinement, become very docile

and even playful, sing readily, and will even come at a given signal

and alight on the finger of their master.

The eggs of the Baltimore are usually five and rarely six in number.

They are of an oblong-oval shape, pointed at one end, and measure .91

of an inch in length by .60 in breadth. Their ground-color is white,

with a slight roseate tinge when fresh, fading into a bluish shade in

time. They are all variously marked, dotted, and marbled, with spots,

blotches, and irregular waving lines of purplish-brown. These markings

are of greatly varying shades, from a light purple to almost complete

blackness, only perceptibly purplish in a strong light.

Icterus bullocki, BON.

BULLOCK’S ORIOLE.

_Xanthornus bullocki_, SW. Syn. Mex. Birds, Taylor’s Phil. Mag. I,

1827, 436. _Agelaius bullocki_, RICH. Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1837.

_Icterus bullocki_, BON. List, 1838.—AUD. Orn. Biog. V, 1839,

9, pls. ccclxxxviii and ccccxxxiii.—IB. Birds Am. IV, 1842,

43, pl. ccxviii.—NEWBERRY, Rep. P. R. R. VI, IV, 1857,

87.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 549.—MAX. Caban. J. VI, 1858,

259.—LORD, Pr. R. A. Inst. IV, 121.—COOPER & SUCKLEY,

209.—SCLATER & SALVIN, Ex. Orn. I, 1869, 188

(diagnosis).—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 273. _Psarocolius

auricollis_, MAXIM. Reise Nordam. I, 1839, 367 (Fort Pierre,

Neb.). _Hyphantes b._, CASS. Pr. A. N. S. 1867, 62.—HEERM. X,

_S_, 52 (nest).

SP. CHAR. Tail very slightly graduated. Upper part of the head and

neck, back, wings, two central tail-feathers, line from base of bill

through the eye to the black of the nape, and a line from the base of

the bill running to a point on the throat, black. Under parts

generally, sides of head and neck, forehead and line over the eye,

rest of tail-feathers, rump, and upper tail-coverts, yellow-orange. A

broad band on the wings, involving the greater and middle coverts, and

the outer edges of the quills, white. Young male with the black

replaced by greenish-yellow, that on the throat persistent; female

without this. The first plumage of the young differs from that of

_baltimore_ in being more whitish beneath; lighter olive above, and

without dark spots on back; white of middle and greater coverts

connected by white edges of the latter. Length, about 7.50 inches;

wing, 3.80.

HAB. High Central Plains to the Pacific; rare on Upper Missouri; south

into Mexico. City of Mexico (SCL. & SALV. 1869, 362).

A closely allied Mexican species is _I. abeillei_ of Lesson, differing

principally in having the sides and rump black.

HABITS. Bullock’s Oriole, the western counterpart of the eastern

Baltimore, is found throughout the Pacific shore, from the great

Central Plains to the ocean, and from Washington Territory to Mexico.

It is not given by Sumichrast as occurring in Vera Cruz, where its

place is taken, as a migrant, by the Baltimore. It was not noticed by

Mr. Dresser on the Rio Grande, but in Arizona it was found by Dr.

Coues to be a common summer resident. It was there seen to frequent,

almost exclusively, the willows and cottonwoods of the creek-bottoms.

To the small twigs of these trees its pensile nests were usually

attached. It is said to arrive in Arizona late in April, and to remain

there nearly through September.

In the survey of the Mexican boundary Dr. Kennerly met with this

species in passing through Guadaloupe cañon, where it was often seen,

but it was observed at no other point on the route. It seemed to

prefer the low bushes on the hillside to the large trees. In its

motions it was quick and restless, passing rapidly from bush to bush.

In Washington Territory this species is stated by Dr. Suckley to be

more abundant in the sparsely wooded districts of the eastern base of

the Cascade Mountains than in the Coast Range. He found it exceedingly

abundant at Fort Dalles and along the eastern base of Mt. Adams. They

arrive about the 15th of May, and were very common among the low oaks

of that region. He speaks of its song as very pleasant, and especially

melodious early in the morning, when the bird is generally perched on

the sunny side or top of an oak.

At Puget Sound, according to Dr. Cooper, these birds do not arrive

until the beginning of June, and are at no time very common there. He

describes their habits as similar to those of the _spurius_, they

being shy and difficult to discover among the foliage. Their song is

more like that of the Baltimore, loud, clear, and varied.

In his Report on the birds of California, Dr. Cooper states that these

birds arrive at San Diego, from the south, about March 1; but at Fort

Mohave, one hundred and sixty miles farther north, he saw none until a

month later. Like the Baltimore Oriole, they resort to the open roads,

gardens, and orchards, putting themselves under the protection of man,

and repaying him both by their sweet melody and their usefulness in

destroying insects. They keep chiefly in the trees and rarely descend

to the ground, except to collect materials for their nests. These are

suspended from the end of a branch, and are constructed of fibrous

grasses, horse-hairs, strings, bits of rags, wool, hempen fibres of

plants, etc. At times only a single material is used, such as

horse-hair. These nests are neatly and closely interwoven in the form

of a deep bag or purse, and are suspended by the edges from the forks

of a branch, near its end. They have usually a depth of about four or

five inches, and a diameter of about three or three and a half. In

most cases they are largely made of the flaxen fibres of wild hempen

plants, and by strings of this are firmly bound around the ends of the

twigs to which they are suspended. They are lined within with fine,

soft vegetable down. In some nests the inner bark of the silkweed

largely predominates.

Dr. Cooper states that the eggs of Bullock’s Oriole are, in number,

from four to six. He describes them as bluish-white, with scattered,

winding streaks and hair-lines of black and reddish-brown near the

larger end, measuring .98 by .60 of an inch. In the southern half of

California they are laid in the first or second week of May. At Santa

Cruz, in 1866, he did not observe any of this species until April 3.

Mr. Allen did not meet with this species in Western Kansas, and it is

not included in his list of birds observed by him near Fort Hays. At

Ogden and Salt Lake City, in Utah, which he reached the first of

September, Bullock’s Oriole had already migrated southward.

In all the fertile portions of the country west of the plains, Mr.

Ridgway found Bullock’s Oriole—the western representative of the

Baltimore—extremely abundant. In May, when the valley of the Truckee,

near Pyramid Lake, was visited, he observed great numbers feeding upon

the buds of the grease-wood, in company with the Louisiana Tanager and

the Black-headed Grosbeaks. In certain localities there was scarcely a

tree that did not contain one or more nests of these birds, and as

many as five have been found in a single tree. Although constructed in

a manner almost precisely similar to those of the common eastern

species, its nest is less frequently pendulous, being in many cases

fixed between the upright twigs near the top of the tree. It is,

however, not unfrequently suspended, like that of the Baltimore, from

the extremity of a drooping branch, though very rarely in so beautiful

a manner. The notes of this Oriole, which are similar to those of the

Baltimore, are neither so distinct, so mellow, nor so strong, and

their effect is quite different from that produced by the splendid

mellow whistling of the eastern species; and the mellow, rolling

chatter so characteristic of the latter is not so full in the western

species, and generally ends in a sharp _chow_, much like the curious

mewing of an _Icteria_. He regards Bullock’s Oriole as altogether a

less attractive species.

Mr. Lord found this bird by no means an abundant species in British

Columbia. Those that were seen seemed to prefer the localities where

the scrub-oaks grew, to the pine regions. He found their long,

pendulous nests suspended from points of oak branches, without any

attempt at concealment. He never met with any of these birds north of

Fraser’s River, and very rarely east of the Cascades. A few stragglers

visited his quarters at Colville, arriving late in May and leaving

early in September, the males usually preceding the females three or

four days.

On the Shasta Plains Mr. Lord noticed, in the nesting of this bird, a

singular instance of the readiness with which birds alter their habits

under difficulties. A solitary oak stood by a little patch of water,

both removed by many miles from other objects of the kind. Every

available branch and spray of this tree had one of the woven nests of

this brilliant bird hanging from it, though hardly known to colonize

elsewhere in this manner.

Dr. Coues, in an interesting paper on the habits of this species in

the Naturalist for November, 1871, states that its nests, though

having a general resemblance in their style of architecture, differ

greatly from one another, usually for obvious reasons, such as their

situation, the time taken for their construction, and even the taste

and skill of the builders. He describes one nest, built in a

pine-tree, in which, in a very ingenious manner, these birds bent down

the long, straight, needle-like leaves of the stiff, terminal

branchlets, and, tying their ends together, made them serve as the

upper portion of the nest, and a means of attachment. This nest was

nine inches long and four in diameter.

Another nest, described by the same writer, was suspended from the

forked twig of an oak, and draped with its leaves, almost to

concealment. It had an unusual peculiarity of being arched over and

roofed in at the top, with a dome of the same material as the rest of

the nest, and a small round hole on one side, just large enough to

admit the birds.

The eggs of this Oriole are slightly larger than those of the

Baltimore, and their ground-color is more of a creamy-white, yet

occasionally with a distinctly bluish tinge. They are marbled and

marked with irregular lines and tracings of dark umber-brown,

deepening almost into black, but never so deep as in the eggs of the

eastern species. These marblings vary constantly and in a remarkable

degree; in some they are almost entirely wanting. They measure .90 of

an inch in length by .65 in breadth.

SUBFAMILY QUISCALINÆ.

[Line drawing: _Scolecophagus ferrugineus._

16775]

CHAR. Bill rather attenuated, as long as or longer than the head. The

culmen curved, the tip much bent down. The cutting edges inflected so

as to impart a somewhat tubular appearance to each mandible. The

commissure sinuated. Tail longer than the wings, usually much

graduated. Legs longer than the head, fitted for walking. Color of

males entirely black with lustrous reflections.

The bill of the _Quiscalinæ_ is very different from that of the other

_Icteridæ_, and is readily recognized by the tendency to a rounding

inward along the cutting edges, rendering the width in a cross section

of the bill considerably less along the commissure than above or

below. The culmen is more curved than in the _Agelainæ_. All the North

American species have the iris white.

The only genera in the United States are as follows:—

Scolecophagus. Tail shorter than the wings; nearly even. Bill shorter

than the head.

Quiscalus. Tail longer than the wings; much graduated. Bill as long as

or longer than the head.

GENUS SCOLECOPHAGUS, SWAINSON.

_Scolecophagus_, SWAINSON, F. Bor.-Am. II, 1831. (Type, _Oriolus

ferrugineus_, GMELIN.)

GEN. CHAR. Bill shorter than the head, rather slender, the edges

inflexed as in _Quiscalus_, which it otherwise greatly resembles; the

commissure sinuated. Culmen rounded, but not flattened. Tarsi longer

than the middle toe. Tail even, or slightly rounded.

The above characteristics will readily distinguish the genus from its

allies. The form is much like that of _Agelaius_. The bill, however,

is more attenuated, the culmen curved and slightly sinuated. The bend

at the base of the commissure is shorter. The culmen is angular at the

base posterior to the nostrils, instead of being much flattened, and

does not extend so far behind. The two North American species may be

distinguished as follows:—

Synopsis of Species.

S. ferrugineus. Bill slender; height at base not .4 the total length.

Color of male black, with faint purple reflection over whole body;

wings, tail, and abdomen glossed slightly with green. Autumnal

specimens with feathers broadly edged with castaneous rusty. _Female_

brownish dusky slate, without gloss; no trace of light superciliary

stripe.

S. cyanocephalus. Bill stout; height at base nearly .5 the total

length. Color black, with green reflections over whole body. Head only

glossed with purple. Autumnal specimens, feathers edged very

indistinctly with umber-brown. _Female_ dusky-brown, with a soft

gloss; a decided light superciliary stripe.

Cuba possesses a species referred to this genus (_S. atroviolaceus_),

though it is not strictly congeneric with the two North American ones.

It differs in lacking any distinct membrane above the nostril, and in

having the bill not compressed laterally, as well as in being much

stouter. The plumage has a soft silky lustre; the general color black,

with rich purple or violet lustre. The female similarly colored to the

male.

Scolecophagus ferrugineus, SWAINSON.

RUSTY BLACKBIRD.

_Oriolus ferrugineus_, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 393, No. 43.—LATH.

Ind. I, 1790, 176. _Gracula ferruginea_, WILSON, Am. Orn. III,

1811, 41, pl. xxi, f. 3. _Quiscalus ferrugineus_, BON. Obs.

Wils. 1824, No. 46.—NUTTALL, Man. I, 1832, 199.—AUD. Orn.

Biog. II, 1834, 315; V, 1839, 483, pl. cxlvii.—IB. Synopsis,

1839, 146.—IB. Birds Am. IV, 1842, 65, pl. ccxxii.—MAX.

Caban. J. VI, 1858, 204. _Scolecophagus ferrugineus_, SWAINSON,

F. Bor.-Am. II, 1831, 286.—BON. List, 1838.—BAIRD, Birds N.

Am. 1858, 551.—COUES, P. A. N. S. 1861, 225.—CASS. P. A. N.

S. 1866, 412.—DALL & BANNISTER, Tr. Ch. Ac. I, 1869, 285

(Alaska). _? ? Oriolus niger_, GMELIN, I, 1788, 393, Nos. 4, 5

(perhaps _Quiscalus_).—SAMUELS, 350.—ALLEN, B. E. Fla. 291.

_Scolecophagus niger_, BONAP. Consp. 1850, 423.—CABANIS, Mus.

Hein. 1851, 195. _? ? Oriolus fuscus_, GMELIN, Syst. I, 1788,

393, No. 44 (perhaps _Molothrus_). _Turdus hudsonius_, GMELIN,

Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 818.—LATH. Ind. _Turdus noveboracensis_,

GMELIN, I, 1788, 818. _Turdus labradorius_, GMELIN, Syst. Nat.

I, 1788, 832.—LATH. Ind. I, 1790, 342 (_labradorus_).

“_Pendulinus ater_, VIEILLOT, Nouv. Dict.” _Chalcophanes

virescens_, WAGLER, Syst. Av. (Appendix, _Oriolus_ 9). _?

Turdus_ No. 22 from Severn River, Forster, Phil. Trans. LXII,

1772, 400.

SP. CHAR. Bill slender; shorter than the head; about equal to the hind

toe; its height not quite two fifths the total length. Wing nearly an

inch longer than the tail; second quill longest; first a little

shorter than the fourth. Tail slightly graduated; the lateral feathers

about a quarter of an inch shortest. General color black, with purple

reflections; the wings, under tail-coverts, and hinder part of the

belly, glossed with green. In autumn the feathers largely edged with

ferruginous or brownish, so as to change the appearance entirely.

Spring female dull, opaque plumbeous or ashy-black; the wings and tail

sometimes with a green lustre. Young like autumnal birds. Length of

male, 9.50; wing, 4.75; tail, 4.00. Female smaller.

HAB. From Atlantic coast to the Missouri. North to Arctic regions. In

Alaska on the Yukon, at Fort Kenai, and Nulato.

[Illustration: _Scolecophagus ferrugineus._]

HABITS. The Rusty Blackbird is an eastern species, found from the

Atlantic to the Missouri River, and from Louisiana and Florida to the

Arctic regions. In a large portion of the United States it is only

known as a migratory species, passing rapidly through in early spring,

and hardly making a longer stay in the fall. Richardson states that

the summer range of this bird extends to the 68th parallel, or as far

as the woods extend. It arrives at the Saskatchewan in the end of

April, and at Great Bear Lake, latitude 65°, by the 3d of May. They

come in pairs, and for a time frequent the sandy beaches of secluded

lakes, feeding on coleopterous insects. Later in the season they are

said to make depredations upon the grain-fields.

They pass through Massachusetts from the 8th of March to the first of

April, in irregular companies, none of which make any stay, but move

hurriedly on. They begin to return early in October, and are found

irregularly throughout that month. They are unsuspicious and easily

approached, and frequent the streams and edges of ponds during their

stay.

Mr. Boardman states that these birds are common near Calais, Me.,

arriving there in March, some remaining to breed. In Western

Massachusetts, according to Mr. Allen, they are rather rare, being

seen only occasionally in spring and fall as stragglers, or in small

flocks. Mr. Allen gives as their arrival the last of September, and

has seen them as late as November 24. They also were abundant in Nova

Scotia. Dr. Coues states that in South Carolina they winter from

November until March.

These birds are said to sing during pairing-time, and become nearly

silent while rearing their young, but in the fall resume their song.

Nuttall has heard them sing until the approach of winter. He thinks

their notes are quite agreeable and musical, and much more melodious

than those of the other species.

During their stay in the vicinity of Boston, they assemble in large

numbers, to roost in the reed marshes on the edges of ponds, and

especially in those of Fresh Pond, Cambridge. They feed during the day

chiefly on grasshoppers and berries, and rarely molest the grain.

According to Wilson, they reach Pennsylvania early in October, and at

this period make Indian corn their principal food. They leave about

the middle of November. In South Carolina he found them numerous

around the rice plantations, feeding about the hog-pens and wherever

they could procure corn. They are easily domesticated, becoming very

familiar in a few days, and readily reconciled to confinement.

In the District of Columbia, Dr. Coues found the Rusty Grakle an

abundant and strictly gregarious winter resident, arriving there the

third week in October and remaining until April, and found chiefly in

swampy localities, but occasionally also in ploughed fields.

Mr. Audubon found these birds during the winter months, as far south

as Florida and Lower Louisiana, arriving there in small flocks, coming

in company with the Redwings and Cowbirds, and remaining associated

with them until the spring. At this season they are also found in

nearly all the Southern and Western States. They appear fond of the

company of cattle, and are to be seen with them, both in the pasture

and in the farm-yard. They seem less shy than the other species. They

also frequent moist places, where they feed upon aquatic insects and

small snails, for which they search among the reeds and sedges,

climbing them with great agility.

In their habits they are said to resemble the Redwings, and, being

equally fond of the vicinity of water, they construct their nests in

low trees and bushes in moist places. Their nests are said to be

similarly constructed, but smaller than those of the Redwings. In

Labrador Mr. Audubon found them lined with mosses instead of grasses.

In Maine they begin to lay about the first of June, and in Labrador

about the 20th, and raise only one brood in a season.

The young, when first able to fly, are of a nearly uniform brown

color. Their nests, according to Audubon, are also occasionally found

in marshes of tall reeds of the _Typha_, to the stalks of which they

are firmly attached by interweaving the leaves of the plant with

grasses and fine strips of bark. A friend of the same writer, residing

in New Orleans, found one of these birds, in full plumage and slightly

wounded, near the city. He took it home, and put it in a cage with

some Painted Buntings. It made no attempt to molest his companions,

and they soon became good friends. It sang during its confinement, but

the notes were less sonorous than when at liberty. It was fed entirely

on rice.

The memoranda of Mr. MacFarlane show that these birds are by no means

uncommon near Fort Anderson. A nest, found June 12, on the branch of a

spruce, next to the trunk, was eight feet from the ground. Another

nest, containing one egg and a young bird, was in the midst of a

branch of a pine, five feet from the ground. The parents endeavored to

draw him from their nest, and to turn his attention to themselves. A

third, found June 22, contained four eggs, and was similarly situated.

The eggs contained large embryos. Mr. MacFarlane states that whenever

a nest of this species is approached, both parents evince great

uneasiness, and do all in their power, by flying from tree to tree in

its vicinity, to attract one from the spot. They are spoken of as

moderately abundant at Fort Anderson, and as having been met with as

far east as the Horton River. He was also informed by the Eskimos that

they extend along the banks of the Lower Anderson to the very borders

of the woods.

Mr. Dall states that these Blackbirds arrive at Nulato about May 20,

where they are tolerably abundant and very tame. They breed later than

some other birds, and had not begun to lay before he left, the last of

May. Eggs were procured at Fort Yukon by Mr. Lockhart, and at Sitka by

Mr. Bischoff.

Besides these localities, this bird was found breeding in the Barren

Grounds of Anderson River in 69° north latitude, on the Arctic coast

at Fort Kenai, by Mr. Bischoff, and at Fort Simpson, Fort Rae, and

Peel River. It has been found breeding at Calais by Mr. Boardman, and

at Halifax by Mr. W. G. Winton.

Eggs sent from Fort Yukon, near the mouth of the Porcupine River, by

Mr. S. Jones, are of a rounded-oval shape, measuring 1.03 inches in

length by .75 in breadth. In size, shape, ground-color, and color of

their markings, they are hardly distinguishable from some eggs of

Brewer’s Blackbird, though generally different. All I have seen from

Fort Yukon have a ground-color of very light green, very thickly

covered with blotches and finer dottings of a mixture of ferruginous

and purplish-brown. In some the blotches are larger and fewer than in

others, and in all these the purple shading predominates. One egg,

more nearly spherical than the rest, measures .98 by .82. None have

any waving lines, as in all other Blackbird’s eggs. Two from near

Calais, Me., measure 1.02 by .75 of an inch, have a ground of light

green, only sparingly blotched with shades of purplish-brown, varying

from light to very dark hues, but with no traces of lines or marbling.

According to Mr. Boardman, these birds are found during the summer

months about Calais, but they are not common. Only a few remain of

those that come in large flocks in the early spring. They pass along

about the last of April, the greater proportions only tarrying a short

time; but in the fall they stay from five to eight weeks. They nest in

the same places with the Redwing Blackbirds, and their nests are very

much alike. In early summer they have a very pretty note, which is

never heard in the fall.

Scolecophagus cyanocephalus, CAB.

BREWER’S BLACKBIRD.

_Psarocolius cyanocephalus_, WAGLER, Isis, 1829, 758. _Scolecophagus

cyanocephalus_, CABANIS, Mus. Hein. 1851, 193.—BAIRD, Birds N.

Am. 1858, 552.—CASS. P. A. N. S. 1866, 413.—HEERM. X, _S_,

53.—COOPER & SUCKLEY, 209.—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 278.

_Scolecophagus mexicanus_, SWAINSON, Anim. in Men. 2¼ cent.

1838, 302.—BON. Conspectus, 1850, 423.—NEWBERRY, Zoöl. Cal.

and Or. Route; Rep. P. R. R. Surv. VI, IV, 1857, 86. _Quiscalus

breweri_, AUD. Birds Am. VII, 1843, 345, pl. ccccxcii.

SP. CHAR. Bill stout, quiscaline, the commissure scarcely sinuated;

shorter than the head and the hind toe; the height nearly half length

of culmen. Wing nearly an inch longer than the tail; the second quill

longest; the first about equal to the third. Tail rounded and

moderately graduated; the lateral feathers about .35 of an inch

shorter. General color of male black, with lustrous green reflections

everywhere except on the head and neck, which are glossed with

purplish-violet. _Female_ much duller, of a light brownish anteriorly;

a very faint superciliary stripe. Length about 10 inches; wing, 5.30;

tail, 4.40.

HAB. High Central Plains to the Pacific; south to Mexico. Pembina,

Minn.; S. Illinois (Wabash Co.; R. RIDGWAY); Matamoras and San

Antonio, Texas (breeds; DRESSER, Ibis, 1869, 493); Plateau of Mexico

(very abundant, and resident; SUMICHRAST, M. B. S. I, 553).

Autumnal specimens do not exhibit the broad rusty edges of feathers

seen in _S. ferrugineus_.

The females and immature males differ from the adult males in much the

same points as _S. ferrugineus_, except that the “rusty” markings are

less prominent and more grayish. The differences generally between the

two species are very appreciable. Thus, in _S. cyanocephalus_, the

bill, though of the same length, is much higher and broader at the

base, as well as much less linear in its upper outline; the point,

too, is less decurved. The size is every way larger. The purplish

gloss, which in _ferrugineus_ is found on most of the body except the

wings and tail, is here confined to the head and neck, the rest of the

body being of a richly lustrous and strongly marked green, more

distinct than that on the wings and tail of _ferrugineus_. In one

specimen only, from Santa Rosalia, Mexico, is there a trace of purple

on some of the wing and tail feathers.

HABITS. This species was first given as a bird of our fauna by Mr.

Audubon, in the supplementary pages of the seventh volume of his Birds

of America. He met with it on the prairies around Fort Union, at the

junction of the Yellowstone and the Missouri Rivers, and in the

extensive ravines in that neighborhood, in which were found a few

dwarfish trees and tall rough weeds or grasses, along the margin of

scanty rivulets. In these localities he met with small groups of seven

or eight of these birds. They were in loose flocks, and moved in a

silent manner, permitting an approach to within some fifteen or twenty

paces, and uttering a call-note as his party stood watching their

movements. Perceiving it to be a species new to him, he procured

several specimens. He states that they did not evince the pertness so

usual to birds of this family, but seemed rather as if dissatisfied

with their abode. On the ground their gait was easy and brisk. He

heard nothing from them of the nature of a song, only a single

_cluck_, not unlike that of the Redwing, between which birds and the

_C. ferrugineus_ he was disposed to place this species.

Dr. Newberry found this Blackbird common both in California and in

Oregon. He saw large flocks of them at Fort Vancouver, in the last of

October. They were flying from field to field, and gathered into the

large spruces about the fort, in the manner of other Blackbirds when

on the point of migrating.

Mr. Allen found this Blackbird, though less an inhabitant of the

marshes than the Yellow-headed, associating with them in destroying

the farmers’ ripening corn, and only less destructive because less

numerous. It appears to be an abundant species in all the settled

portions of the western region, extending to the eastward as far as

Wisconsin, and even to Southeastern Illinois, one specimen having been

obtained in Wisconsin by Mr. Kumlien, and others in Wabash Co., Ill.,

by Mr. Ridgway.

In the summer, according to Mr. Ridgway, it retires to the cedar and

piñon mountains to breed, at that time seldom visiting the river

valley. In the winter it resorts in large flocks to the vicinity of

corrals and barn-yards, where it becomes very tame and familiar. On

the 3d of June he met with the breeding-ground of a colony of these

birds, in a grove of cedars on the side of a cañon, in the mountains,

near Pyramid Lake. Nearly every tree contained a nest, and several had

two or three. Each nest was saddled on a horizontal branch, generally

in a thick tuft of foliage, and well concealed. The majority of these

nests contained young, and when these were disturbed the parents flew

about the heads of the intruders, uttering a soft _chuck_. The maximum

number of eggs or young was six, the usual number four or five. In

notes and manners it seemed to be an exact counterpart of the _C.

ferrugineus_.

Dr. Suckley found these birds quite abundant at Fort Dalles, but west

of the Cascade Mountains they were quite rare. At Fort Dalles it is a

winter resident, where, in the cold weather, it may frequently be

found in flocks in the vicinity of barn-yards and stables. Dr. Cooper

also obtained specimens of this Grakle at Vancouver, and regards it as

a constant resident on the Columbia River. He saw none at Puget Sound.

In their notes and habits he was not able to trace any difference from

the Rusty Blackbird of the Atlantic States. In winter they kept about

the stables in flocks of fifties or more, and on warm days flew about

among the tree-tops, in company with the Redwings, singing a harsh but

pleasant chorus for hours.

Dr. Cooper states it to be an abundant species everywhere throughout

California, except in the dense forests, and resident throughout the

year. They frequent pastures and follow cattle in the manner of the

_Molothrus_. They associate with the other Blackbirds, and are fond of

feeding and bathing along the edges of streams. They have not much

song, but the noise made by a large flock, as they sit sunning

themselves in early spring, is said to be quite pleasing. In this

chorus the Redwings frequently assist. At Santa Cruz he found them

more familiar than elsewhere. They frequented the yards about houses

and stables, building in the trees of the gardens, and collecting

daily, after their hunger was satisfied, on the roofs or on

neighboring trees, to sing, for an hour or two, their songs of thanks.

He has seen a pair of these birds pursue and drive away a large hawk

threatening some tame pigeons.

This species has an extended distribution, having been met with by Mr.

Kennicott as far north as Pembina, and being also abundant as far

south as Northern Mexico. In the Boundary Survey specimens were

procured at Eagle Pass and at Santa Rosalia, where Lieutenant Couch

found them living about the ranches and the cattle-yards.

Mr. Dresser, on his arrival at Matamoras, in July, noticed these birds

in the streets of that town, in company with the Long-tailed Grakles

_Q. macrurus_ and _Molothrus pecoris_. He was told by the Mexicans

that they breed there, but it was too late to procure their eggs. In

the winter vast flocks frequented the roads near by, as well as the

streets of San Antonio and Eagle Pass. They were as tame as European

Sparrows. Their note, when on the wing, was a low whistle. When

congregated in trees, they kept up an incessant chattering.

Dr. Coues found them permanent residents of Arizona, and exceedingly

abundant. It was the typical Blackbird of Fort Whipple, though few

probably breed in the immediate vicinity. Towards the end of September

they become very numerous, and remain so until May, after which few

are observed till the fall. They congregate in immense flocks about

the corrals, and are tame and familiar. Their note, he says, is a

harsh, rasping squeak, varied by a melodious, ringing whistle. I am

indebted to this observing ornithologist for the following sketch of

their peculiar characteristics:—

“Brewer’s Blackbird is resident in Arizona, the most abundant bird of

its family, and one of the most characteristic species of the

Territory. It appears about Fort Whipple in flocks in September; the

numbers are augmented during the following month, and there is little

or no diminution until May, when the flocks disperse to breed.

“The nest is placed in the fork of a large bush or tree, sometimes at

the height of twenty or thirty feet, and is a bulky structure, not

distantly resembling a miniature Crow’s nest, but it is comparatively

deeper and more compactly built. A great quantity of short, crooked

twigs are brought together and interlaced to form the basement and

outer wall, and with these is matted a variety of softer material, as

weed-stalks, fibrous roots, and dried grasses. A little mud may be

found mixed with the other material, but it is not plastered on in any

quantity, and often seems to be merely what adhered to the roots or

plant-stems that were used. The nest is finished inside with a

quantity of hair. The eggs are altogether different from those of the

_Quiscali_ and _Agelæi_, and resemble those of the Yellow-headed and

Rusty Grakles. They vary in number from four to six, and measure

barely an inch in length by about three fourths as much in breadth.

The ground-color is dull olivaceous-gray, sometimes a paler, clearer

bluish or greenish gray, thickly spattered all over with small spots

of brown, from very dark blackish-brown or chocolate to light umber.

These markings, none of great size, are very irregular in outline,

though probably never becoming line-tracery; and they vary

indefinitely in number, being sometimes so crowded that the egg

appears of an almost uniform brownish color.

“In this region the Blackbirds play the same part in nature’s economy

that the Yellow-headed Troupial does in some other parts of the West,

and the Cowbird and Purple Grakle in the East. Like others of their

tribe they are very abundant where found at all, and eminently

gregarious, except whilst breeding. Yet I never saw such innumerable

multitudes together as the Redwinged Blackbird, or even its

Californian congener, _A. tricolor_, shows in the fall, flocks of

fifty or a hundred being oftenest seen. Unlike the _Agelæi_, they show

no partiality for swampy places, being lovers of the woods and fields,

and appearing perfectly at home in the clearings about man’s abode,

where their sources of supply are made sure through his bounty or

wastefulness. They are well adapted for terrestrial life by the size

and strength of their feet, and spend much of their time on the

ground, betaking themselves to the trees on alarm. On the ground they

habitually run with nimble steps, when seeking food, only occasionally

hopping leisurely, like a Sparrow, upon both feet at once. Their

movements are generally quick, and their attitudes varied. They run

with the head lowered and tail somewhat elevated and partly spread for

a balance, but in walking slowly the head is held high, and oscillates

with every step. The customary attitude when perching is with the body

nearly erect, the tail hanging loosely down, and the bill pointing

upward; but should their attention be attracted, this negligent

posture is changed, the birds sit low and firmly, with elevated and

wide-spread tail rapidly flirted, whilst the bright eye peers down

through the foliage. When a flock comes down to the ground to search

for food, they generally huddle closely together and pass pretty

quickly along, each one striving to be first, and in their eagerness

they continually fly up and re-alight a few paces ahead, so that the

flock seems, as it were, to be rolling over and over. When disturbed

at such times, they fly in a dense body to a neighboring tree, but

then almost invariably scatter as they settle among the boughs. The

alarm over, one, more adventurous, flies down again, two or three

follow in his wake, and the rest come trooping after. In their

behavior towards man, they exhibited a curious mixture of heedlessness

and timidity; they would ramble about almost at our feet sometimes,

yet the least unusual sound or movement sent them scurrying into the

trees. They became tamest about the stables, where they would walk

almost under the horses’ feet, like Cowbirds in a farm-yard.

“Their hunger satisfied, the Blackbirds would fly into the pine-trees

and remain a long time motionless, though not at all quiet. They were

at singing-school,’ we used to say, and certainly there was room for

improvement in their chorus; but if their notes were not particularly

harmonious, they were sprightly, varied, and on the whole rather

agreeable, suggesting the joviality that Blackbirds always show when

their stomachs are full, and the prospect of further supply is good.

Their notes are rapid and emphatic, and, like the barking of coyotes,

give an impression of many more performers than are really engaged.

They have a smart chirp, like the clashing of pebbles, frequently

repeated at intervals, varied with a long-drawn mellow whistle. Their

ordinary note, continually uttered when they are searching for food,

is intermediate between the guttural _chuck_ of the Redwing and the

metallic _chink_ of the Reedbird.

“In the fall, when food is most abundant, they generally grow fat, and

furnish excellent eating. They are tender, like other small birds, and

do not have the rather unpleasant flavor that the Redwing gains by

feeding too long upon the _Zizania_.

“These are sociable as well as gregarious birds, and allied species

are seen associating with them. At Wilmington, Southern California,

where I found them extremely abundant in November, they were flocking

indiscriminately with the equally plentiful _Agelaius tricolor_.”

Dr. Heermann found this Blackbird very common in New Mexico and Texas,

though he was probably in error in supposing that all leave there

before the period of incubation. During the fall they frequent the

cattle-yards, where they obtain abundance of food. They were very

familiar, alighting on the house-tops, and apparently having no cause

for fear of man. Unlike all other writers, he speaks of its song as a

soft, clear whistle. When congregated in spring on the trees, they

keep up a continual chattering for hours, as though revelling in an

exuberance of spirits.

Under the common Spanish name of _Pajaro prieto_, Dr. Berlandier

refers in MSS. to this species. It is said to inhabit the greater part

of Mexico, and especially the Eastern States. It moves in flocks in

company with the other Blackbirds. It is said to construct a well-made

nest about the end of April, of blades of grass, lining it with

horse-hair. The eggs, three or four in number, are much smaller than

those of _Quiscalus macrurus_, obtuse at one end, and slightly pointed

at the other. The ground-color is a pale gray, with a bluish tint, and

although less streaked, bears a great resemblance to those of the

larger Blackbird.

Dr. Cooper states that these birds nest in low trees, often several in

one tree. He describes the nest as large, constructed externally of a

rough frame of twigs, with a thick layer of mud, lined with fine

rootlets and grasses. The eggs are laid from April 10 to May 20, are

four or five in number, have a dull greenish-white ground, with

numerous streaks and small blotches of dark brown. He gives their

measurement at one inch by .72. They raise two and probably three

broods in a season.

Four eggs of this species, from Monterey, collected by Dr. Canfield,

have an average measurement of 1.02 inches by .74. Their ground-color

is a pale white with a greenish tinge. They are marked with great

irregularity, with blotches of a light brown, with fewer blotches of a

much darker shade, and a few dots of the same. In one egg the spots

are altogether of the lighter shade, and are so numerous and confluent

as to conceal the ground-color. In the other they are more scattered,

but the lines and marbling of irregularly shaped and narrow zigzag

marking are absent in nearly all the eggs.

Mr. Lord found this species a rare bird in British Columbia. He saw a

few on Vancouver Island in the yards where cattle were fed, and a

small number frequented the mule-camp on the Sumas prairie. East of

the Cascades he met none except at Colville, where a small flock had

wintered in a settler’s cow-yard. They appeared to have a great liking

for the presence of those animals, arising from their finding more

food and insects there than elsewhere, walking between their legs, and

even perching upon their backs.

Captain Blakiston found this species breeding on the forks of the

Saskatchewan, June 3, 1858, where he obtained its eggs.

GENUS QUISCALUS, VIEILLOT.

_Quiscalus_, VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816 (GRAY). (Type, _Gracula

quiscala_, L.)

[Line drawing: _Quiscalus purpureus._

2104]

SP. CHAR. Bill as long as the head, the culmen slightly curved, the

gonys almost straight; the edges of the bill inflected and rounded;

the commissure quite strongly sinuated. Outlines of tarsal scutellæ

well defined on the sides; tail long, boat-shaped, or capable of

folding so that the two sides can almost be brought together upward,

the feathers conspicuously and decidedly graduated, their inner webs

longer than the outer. Color black.

The excessive graduation of the long tail, with the perfectly black

color, at once distinguishes this genus from any other in the United

States. Two types may be distinguished: one _Quiscalus_, in which the

females are much like the males, although a little smaller and perhaps

with rather less lustre; the other, _Megaquiscalus_, much larger, with

the tail more graduated, the females considerably smaller, and of a

brown or rusty color. The _Quiscali_ are all from North America or the

West Indies (including Trinidad); none having been positively

determined as South American. The _Megaquiscali_ are Mexican and Gulf

species entirely, while a third group, the _Holoquiscali_, is West

Indian.

Synopsis of Species and Varieties.

A. QUISCALUS. Sexes nearly similar in plumage. Color

black; each species glossed with different shades of

bronze, purple, violet, green, etc. Lateral tail-feathers

about .75 the length of central. _Hab._ Eastern United

States. Proportion of wing to tail variable.

Q. purpureus. _a._ Body uniform brassy-olive without

varying tints. Head and neck steel-blue, more violaceous

anteriorly.

1. Length, 13.50; wing, 5.50 to 5.65; tail, 5.70 to

5.80, its graduation, 1.50; culmen, 1.35 to 1.40.

Vivid blue of the neck all round abruptly defined

against the brassy-olive of the body. _Female._ Wing,

5.20; tail, 4.85 to 5.10. _Hab._ Interior portions of

North America, from Texas and Louisiana to

Saskatchewan and Hudson’s Bay Territory; New England

States; Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory var. _æneus_.

_b._ Body variegated with purple, green, and blue tints.

Head and neck violaceous-purple, more blue anteriorly.

2. Length, 12.50; wing, 5.60; tail, 5.30, its

graduation, 1.20; culmen, 1.32. Dark purple of neck

all round passing over the breast, and appearing in

patches on the lower parts. Wing and tail purplish;

tail-coverts reddish-purple. _Female._ Wing, 5.10;

tail, 4.50. _Hab._ Atlantic coast of United States

var. _purpureus_.

3. Length, 11.75; wing, 4.85 to 5.60; tail, 4.60 to

5.50, its graduation, .90; culmen, 1.38 to 1.66. Dark

purple of neck sharply defined against the dull

blackish olive-green of the body. Wings and tail

greenish-blue; tail-coverts violet-blue. _Female._

Wing, 4.65 to 4.90; tail, 3.80 to 4.60. _Hab._ South

Florida; resident var. _agelaius_.

B. HOLOQUISCALUS. (CASSIN.) Tail shorter than wings; sexes

similar. Color glossy black, but without varying shades of

gloss; nearly uniform in each species. Tail moderately

graduated. _Hab._ West India Islands, almost exclusively;

Mexico and South America.

Q. baritus. Black, with a soft bluish-violet gloss,

changing on wings and tail into bluish-green.

_Culmen decidedly curved; base of mandibles on

sides, smooth._

1. Bill robust, commissure sinuated; depth of bill, at

base, .54; culmen, 1.33; wing, 6.15; tail, 5.50, its

graduation, 1.30. _Female._ Wing, 5.20; tail, 4.70;

other measurements in proportion. _Hab._ Jamaica

var. _baritus_.[43]

2. Bill slender, commissure scarcely sinuated; depth

of bill, .43; culmen, 1.35; wing, 5.40; tail, 5.10,

its graduation, 1.20. _Female._ Wing, 4.60; tail,

4.20. _Hab._ Porto Rico var. _brachypterus_.[44]

_Culmen almost straight; base of mandibles on sides

corrugated._

3. Depth of bill, .51; culmen, 1.44; wing, 6.00; tail,

5.50, its graduation, 1.50. _Female._ Wing, 5.15;

tail, 4.80. _Hab._ Cuba var. _gundlachi_.[45]

4. Depth of bill, .40; culmen, 1.35; wing, 5.00; tail,

4.50, its graduation, .85. _Hab._ Hayti var. _niger_.[46]

C. MEGAQUISCALUS. (CASSIN.) Tail longer than wings. Sexes

very unlike. Female much smaller, and very different in

color, being olivaceous-brown, lightest beneath. Male

without varying shades of color; lateral tail-feather

about .60 the middle, or less.

Q. major. Culmen strongly decurved terminally; bill

robust. _Female_ with back, nape, and crown like the

wings; abdomen much darker than throat.

_Lustre of the plumage green, passing into violet

anteriorly on head and neck._

1. Length, 15.00; wing, 7.50; tail, 7.70, its

graduation, 2.50; culmen, 1.60. _Female._ Wing, 5.10.

_Hab._ South Atlantic and Gulf coast of United States

var. _major_.

_Lustre, violet passing into green posteriorly._

2. Length, 14.00; wing, 6.75; tail, 7.20, its

graduation, 2.40; culmen, 1.57. _Female._ Wing, 5.30;

tail, 5.00. _Hab._ Western Mexico. (Mazatlan, Colima,

etc.) var. _palustris_.[47]

3. Length, 18.00; wing, 7.70; tail, 9.20, its

graduation, 3.50; culmen, 1.76. _Female._ Wing, 5.80;

tail, 6.30. _Hab._ From Rio Grande of Texas, south

through Eastern Mexico; Mazatlan (accidental?) var. _macrurus_.

Q. tenuirostris.[48] Culmen scarcely decurved

terminally; bill slender. _Female_ with back, nape, and

crown very different in color from the wings; abdomen as

light as throat.

1. _Male._ Lustre purplish-violet, inclining to

steel-blue on wing and upper tail-coverts. Length,

15.00; wing, 7.00; tail, 8.00, its graduation, 3.00.

_Female._ Crown, nape, and back castaneous-brown; rest

of upper parts brownish-black. A distinct superciliary

stripe, with the whole lower parts as far as flanks

and crissum, deep fulvous-ochraceous, lightest, and

inclining to ochraceous-white, on throat and lower

part of abdomen; flanks and crissum blackish-brown.

Wing, 5.10; tail, 5.35, its graduation, 1.80; culmen,

1.33; greatest depth of bill, .36. HAB. Mexico

(central?).

[43] _Quiscalus baritus_ (LINN.), CASS. Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc.

Phila., 1866, p. 405. (_Gracula barita_, LINN. S. N. I, 165,

1766). _Q. crassirostris_, SWAINSON.

[44] _Quiscalus brachypterus_, CASS. Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 406.

[45] _Quiscalus gundlachi_, CASS. Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 406.

[46] _Quiscalus niger_ (BODDAERT), CASS. Pr. A. N. S. 1866,

407. (_Oriolus niger_, BODD. Tab. Pl. Enl. p. 31, 1783.)

None of the continental forms are in the collection, and

therefore their relationship to each other and to the West

Indian species cannot be here given. They are: (1) _Q.

lugubris_, SWAINS. (Cabinet Cyclopædia, p. 299, 1838.—CASS.

Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 408). _Hab._ S. Am., Trinidad. (2) _Q.

mexicanus_, CASS. (Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 408). _Hab._ Mexico.

Besides these are the two following, whose habitats are

unknown: _Q. inflexirostris_, SWAINS. (Cab. Cyc. p. 300,

1838), and _Q. rectirostris_, CASS. (Pr. A. N. S. 1866,

409).

[47] _Quiscalus palustris_ (SWAINS.), CASSIN, Pr. A. N. S.,

Phila., 1866, p. 411. (_Scaphidurus pal._, SWAINS. Phil.

Mag. 1827, 437).

[48] _Quiscalus tenuirostris_, SWAINS. Cabinet Cyclopædia,

1838, p. 299.—CASSIN, Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 411. The _Q.

assimilis_, SCL. Cat. Am. B. 1862, 141, from Bogota, and _Q.

peruvianus_, SWAINS. Cab. Cyc. 1838, 354, of Peru, are not

in the collection; they are probably referrible to the

_major_ type.

Quiscalus purpureus, BARTR.

THE CROW BLACKBIRD.

[Illustration: Quiscalus purpureus.]

SP. CHAR. Bill above, about as long as the head, more than twice

as high; the commissure moderately sinuated and considerably

decurved at tip. Tail a little shorter than the wing, much

graduated, the lateral feathers .90 to 1.50 inches shorter. Third

quill longest; first between fourth and fifth. Color black,

variously glossed with metallic reflections of bronze, purple,

violet, blue, and green. _Female_ similar, but smaller and

duller, with perhaps more green on the head. Length, 13.00; wing,

6.00; bill above, 1.25.

_Hab._ From Atlantic to the high Central Plains.

Of the Crow Blackbird of the United States, three well-marked

races are now distinguished in the species: one, the common form

of the Atlantic States; another occurring in the Mississippi

Valley, the British Possessions, and the New England States, and

a third on the Peninsula of Florida. The comparative diagnoses of

the three will be found on page 809.

Var. purpureus, BARTRAM.

PURPLE GRAKLE.

_Gracula quiscala_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, (ed. 10,) 1758, 109

(_Monedula purpurea_, Cal.); I, (ed. 12,) 1766,

165.—GMELIN, I, 1788, 397.—LATHAM, Ind. I, 1790,

191.—WILSON, Am. Orn. III, 1811, 44, pl. xxi, f. 4.

_Chalcophanes quiscalus_, WAGLER, Syst. Av. 1827

(_Gracula_).—CAB. Mus. Hein. 1851, 196. _? ? Oriolus

ludovicianus_, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 387; albino

var. _? ? Oriolus niger_, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 393.

_? Gracula purpurea_, BARTRAM, Travels, 1791, 290.

_Quiscalus versicolor_, VIEILLOT, Analyse? 1816.—IB.

Nouv. Dict. XXVIII, 1819, 488.—IB. Gal. Ois. I, 171, pl.

cviii.—BON. Obs. Wils. 1824, No. 45.—IB. Am. Orn. I,

1825, 45, pl. v.—IB. List, 1838.—IB. Conspectus, 1840,

424.—SW. F. Bor.-Am. II, 1831, 485.—NUTTALL, Man. I,

1832, 194.—AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 35; V, 1838, 481 (not

the pl. vii.).—IB. Syn. 1839, 146.—IB. Birds Am. IV,

1842, 58 (not the pl. ccxxi.).—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858,

575. _Gracula barita_, ORD., J. A. N. Sc. I, 1818, 253.

“_Quiscalus purpureus_, LICHT.”—CASSIN, Pr. A. N. Sc.,

1866, 403.—RIDGWAY, Pr. A. N. S. 1869, 133.—ALLEN, B. E.

Fla. 291 (in part). _Quiscalus nitens_, LICHT. Verz. 1823,

No. 164. _Quiscalus purpuratus_, SWAINSON, Anim. in Menag.

1838, No. 55. _Purple Grakle_, PENNANT, Arctic Zoöl. II.

SP. CHAR. Length about 12.50; wing, 5.50; tail, 4.92; culmen, 1.24;

tarsus, 1.28. Second quill longest, hardly perceptibly (only .07 of an

inch) longer than the first and third, which are equal; projection of

primaries beyond secondaries, 1.56; graduation of tail, .92. General

appearance glossy black; whole plumage, however, brightly glossed with

reddish-violet, bronzed purple, steel-blue, and green; the head and

neck with purple prevailing, this being in some individuals more

bluish, in others more reddish; where most blue this is purest

anteriorly, becoming more violet on the neck. On other portions of the

body the blue and violet forming an iridescent zone on each feather,

the blue first, the violet terminal; sometimes the head is similarly

marked. On the abdomen the blue generally predominates, on the rump

the violet; wings and tail black, with violet reflection, more bluish

on the latter; the wing-coverts frequently tipped with steel-blue or

violet. Bill, tarsi, and toes pure black; iris sulphur-yellow.

HAB. Atlantic States, north to Nova Scotia, west to the Alleghanies.

[Illustration: Var. _purpureus_.]

This form is more liable to variation than any other, the arrangement

of the metallic tints varying with the individual; there is never,

however, an approach to the sharp definition and symmetrical pattern

of coloration characteristic of the western race.

The female is a little less brilliant than the male, and slightly

smaller. The young is entirely uniform slaty-brown, without gloss.

An extreme example of this race (22,526, Washington, D. C.?) is almost

wholly of a continuous rich purple, interrupted only on the

interscapulars, where, anteriorly, the purple is overlaid by bright

green, the feathers with terminal transverse bars of bluish. On the

lower parts are scattered areas of a more bluish tint. The purple is

richest and of a reddish cast on the neck, passing gradually into a

bluish tint toward the bill; on the rump and breast the purple has a

somewhat bronzy appearance.

HABITS. The common Crow Blackbird of the eastern United States

exhibits three well-marked and permanently varying forms, which we

present as races. Yet these variations are so well marked and so

constant that they almost claim the right to be treated as

specifically distinct. We shall consider them by themselves. They are

the Purple Grakle, or common Crow Blackbird, _Quiscalus purpureus_;

the Bronzed Grakle, _Q. æneus_; and the Florida Grakle, _Q. aglæus_.

The first of these, the well-known Crow Blackbird of the Atlantic

States, so far as we are now informed, has an area extending from

Northern Florida on the south to Maine, and from the Atlantic to the

Alleghanies. Mr. Allen states that the second form is the typical form

of New England, but my observations do not confirm his statement. Both

the eastern and the western forms occur in Massachusetts, but the

_purpureus_ alone seems to be a summer resident, the _æneus_ occurring

only _in transitu_, and, so far as I am now aware, chiefly in the

fall.

The Crow Blackbirds visit Massachusetts early in March and remain

until the latter part of September, those that are summer residents

generally departing before October. They are not abundant in the

eastern part of the State, and breed in small communities or by

solitary pairs.

In the Central States, especially in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, they

are much more abundant, and render themselves conspicuous and dreaded

by the farmers through the extent of their depredations on the crops.

The evil deeds of all birds are ever much more noticed and dwelt upon

than their beneficial acts. So it is, to an eminent degree, with the

Crow Blackbird. Very few seem aware of the vast amount of benefit it

confers on the farmer, but all know full well—and are bitterly

prejudiced by the knowledge—the extent of the damages this bird

causes.

They return to Pennsylvania about the middle of March, in large, loose

flocks, at that time frequenting the meadows and ploughed fields, and

their food then consists almost wholly of grubs, worms, etc., of which

they destroy prodigious numbers. In view of these services, and

notwithstanding the havoc they commit on the crops of Indian corn,

Wilson states that he should hesitate whether to consider these birds

most as friends or as enemies, as they are particularly destructive to

almost all the noxious worms, grubs, and caterpillars that infest the

farmer’s fields, which, were they to be allowed to multiply

unmolested, would soon consume nine tenths of all the productions of

his labor, and desolate the country with the miseries of famine.

The depredations committed by these birds are almost wholly upon

Indian corn, at different stages. As soon as its blades appear above

the ground, after it has been planted, these birds descend upon the

fields, pull up the tender plant, and devour the seeds, scattering the

green blades around. It is of little use to attempt to drive them away

with the gun. They only fly from one part of the field to another. And

again, as soon as the tender corn has formed, these flocks, now

replenished by the young of the year, once more swarm in the

cornfields, tear off the husks, and devour the tender grains. Wilson

has seen fields of corn in which more than half the corn was thus

ruined.

These birds winter in immense numbers in the lower parts of Virginia,

North and South Carolina, and Georgia, sometimes forming one

congregated multitude of several hundred thousands. On one occasion

Wilson met, on the banks of the Roanoke, on the 20th of January, one

of these prodigious armies of Crow Blackbirds. They rose, he states,

from the surrounding fields with a noise like thunder, and, descending

on the length of the road before him, they covered it and the fences

completely with black. When they again rose, and after a few

evolutions descended on the skirts of the high timbered woods, they

produced a most singular and striking effect. Whole trees, for a

considerable extent, from the top to the lowest branches, seemed as if

hung with mourning. Their notes and screaming, he adds, seemed all the

while like the distant sounds of a great cataract, but in a more

musical cadence.

A writer in the American Naturalist (II. 326), residing in Newark, N.

Y., notes the advent of a large number of these birds to his village.

Two built their nest inside the spire of a church. Another pair took

possession of a martin-house in the narrator’s garden, forcibly

expelling the rightful owners. These same birds also attempted to

plunder the newly constructed nests of the Robins of their materials.

They were, however, successfully resisted, the Robins driving the

Blackbirds away in all cases of contest.

The Crow Blackbird nests in various situations, sometimes in low

bushes, more frequently in trees, and at various heights. A pair, for

several years, had their nest on the top of a high fir-tree, some

sixty feet from the ground, standing a few feet from my front door.

Though narrowly watched by unfriendly eyes, no one could detect them

in any mischief. Not a spear of corn was molested, and their food was

exclusively insects, for which they diligently searched, turning over

chips, pieces of wood, and loose stones. Their nests are large,

coarsely but strongly made of twigs and dry plants, interwoven with

strong stems of grasses. When the Fish Hawks build in their

neighborhood, Wilson states that it is a frequent occurrence for the

Grakles to place their nests in the interstices of those of the

former. Sometimes several pairs make use of the same Hawk’s nest at

the same time, living in singular amity with its owner. Mr. Audubon

speaks of finding these birds generally breeding in the hollows of

trees. I have never met with their nests in these situations, but Mr.

William Brewster says he has found them nesting in this manner in the

northern part of Maine. Both, however, probably refer to the var.

_æneus_.

The eggs of the Grakle exhibit great variations in their ground-color,

varying from a light greenish-white to a deep rusty-brown. The former

is the more common color. The eggs are marked with large dashes and

broad, irregular streaks of black and dark brown, often presenting a

singular grotesqueness in their shapes. Eggs with a deep brown ground

are usually marked chiefly about the larger end with confluent, cloudy

blotches of deeper shades of the same. The eggs measure 1.25 inches by

.90.

Var. æneus, RIDGWAY.

BRONZED GRAKLE.

_Quiscalus versicolor_, AUD. Orn. Biog. pl. vii; Birds Am. IV, pl.

ccxxi (figure, but not description).—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858,

555 (western specimens).—SAMUELS, 352. _Quiscalus æneus_,

RIDGWAY, Pr. Phil. Acad., June, 1869. 134.

[Illustration: Var. _æneus_.]

SP. CHAR. Length, 12.50 to 13.50; wing, 6.00; tail, 6.00; culmen,

1.26; tarsus, 1.32. Third and fourth quills longest and equal; first

shorter than fifth; projection of primaries beyond secondaries, 1.28;

graduation of tail, 1.48.

Metallic tints rich, deep, and uniform. Head and neck all round rich

silky steel-blue, this strictly confined to these portions, and

abruptly defined behind, varying in shade from an intense Prussian

blue to brassy-greenish, the latter tint always, when present, most

apparent on the neck, the head always more violaceous; lores

velvety-black. Entire body, above and below, uniform continuous

metallic brassy-olive, varying to burnished golden olivaceous-bronze,

becoming gradually uniform metallic purplish or reddish violet on

wings and tail, the last more purplish; primaries violet-black; bill,

tarsi, and toes pure black; iris sulphur-yellow.

HAB. Mississippi region of United States, east to Alleghany Mountains,

west to Fort Bridger; Saskatchewan Region, Hudson’s Bay Territory;

Labrador? and Maine (52,382, Calais, Me., G. A. Boardman). More or

less abundant in all eastern States north of New Jersey.

This species may be readily distinguished from the _Q. purpureus_ by

the color alone, independently of the differences of proportions.