300 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



3. Agelaius. First quill shorter than the second and third. Outer lateral claws 

 scarcely reaching to the base of middle; claws moderate. 



4. Xanthocephalus. First quill longest Outer lateral claw reaching nearly to the 

 tip of the middle. Toes and claws all much elongated. 



C. Bill as long as, or longer than, the head. Feathers of crown with the shafts pro- 

 longed into stiffened bristles. Nostrils covered by a scale which stands out more or less 

 horizontally. 



5. Sturnella. Tail feathers acute. Middle toe equal to the tarsus. 



Subfamily Icterincc. 



6. Icterus. Bill slender, acute, sometimes slightly decurved, about as long as, or a 

 little shorter than, the head. Nostrils as in A gelaius. Tail rounded or graduated 

 about as long as, or slightly longer than, the wing.* 



Subfamily Quiscalince. 



7. Scolecophagus. Tail shorter than the wings; nearly even. Bill shorter than the 

 head. 



8. Quiscalns. Tail longer than the wings; much graduated. Bill as long as, or longer 

 than, the head. 



The three so-called subfamilies represent, superficially, three Old 

 World families ; viz. : The Agelainte may be said to correspond to 

 the Starlings (Sturnidce), and have been called the American Star- 

 lings; the Icter'mce may likewise be compared with the Orioles 

 (Oriolidfe), and in fact currently, though very improperly, bear the 

 same name. For want of a more distinctive term, that of American 

 Orioles is perhaps defensible, the name "Hang-nests," while very 

 appropriate for the Icter'nite, lacking sufficiently exclusive pertinence 

 to make it preferable. The Quiscalince are very appropriately called 

 Crow-Blackbirds, but they have been termed Grakles by many 

 authors, on account of a supposed resemblance to the true Grakles, 

 or Minos, (Graculidce) of Southern Asia. 



Some of the Agelaince (notably the genera Dolichonyx and Moloth- 

 rus) present a very close resemblance to certain Friugillidts in their 

 general form, especially in the shortness and conical shape of the 

 bill. They may, however, be readily separated by the family char- 

 acters, as given on page 43. 



All of the genera characterized in the above synopsis belong to 

 the Illinois fauna, no others occurring in North America. 



* Decidedly shorter than the wing in the subgenus Yphantes, to which the Baltimore 

 and Bullock's Orioles (/, galbula and /. bullocki) belong. 



