404 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 



generally similar, but with generally a greater prevalence of green, and a 

 paler violet lustre than in the male. Total length about 10^ to 11 inches. 



Young. Entirely dull brownish-black, with usually a green lustre beginning 

 to appear on the head and breast, wings and tail. 



Ilab. North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. Spec, in Mus. Acad. 

 Philada. and Mus. Smiths. Inst. Washington. 



Numerous specimens from various and widely distant localities in North 

 America, in the Academy Museum and in the Smithsonian Museum. Kansas 

 (Dr. W. A. Hammond), Hudson's Bay (Smithsonian), resident in Louisiana 

 (Mr. Audubon). The figures of Wilson of the male, and of Bonaparte of the 

 female, above cited, are very good representations of this species ; those of 

 Audubon are not, but seem to be of young or imperfect plumage. 



2. QriscALUS acinus, Baird. 



Quiscalus aglams, Baird, Silliman's Jour. 1866, p. 84. 

 Quiscalus baritus, Baird, B. of N. A. p. 556. 



Baird, B. of N. A. pi. 32. 



Specimens from Florida in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 This species is allied to but distinguishable from the preceding without 

 difficulty. 



Smaller than the preceding species, with the bill comparatively longer and 

 more slender, more gradually pointed, with the upper mandible distinctly 

 curved downwards at the tip. Wing moderate, with the second, third and 

 fourth quills very nearly equal ; tail rather long, graduated ; legs and feet 

 strong, claws strong and sharp. Total length about 10J to 12 inches ; wing 4|- 

 to 5 J ; tail about 5 inches. 



Adult male. Entirely black, head, neck and breast with a fine blue lustre, 

 changing to a fine golden purple or violet, abruptly terminated on the neck 

 behind, extending lower on the breast, and abruptly giving place to a silky 

 green lustre on the abdomen, somewhat mixed or variegated with purple and 

 violet. Back with nearly the same lustre as the abdomen ; rump and upper 

 tail coverts more variegated with golden green, violet and blue. External wing 

 coverts with fine blue lustre, changing to green, and frequently tipped and 

 edged with golden-green and violet. Shorter quills with fine blue lustre 

 changing to green. Primaries narrowly edged with bluish or green. Tail with 

 a fine green lustre ; bill and feet black. 



Hob. Florida ; Bahama Islands ? Spec, in Mus. Smiths. Inst. 



In this species the lustres of the plumage seem to be more uniform, or much 

 less changeable or broken than in the preceding ; and in all the specimens now 

 under examination the shorter quills have a nearly uniform fine blue lustre, 

 changing to green, and more uniform than in the preceding, and the tail has a 

 green instead of blue lustre. These characters of the plumage, and the smaller 

 size and longer bill, furnish characters at once available for the easy recogni- 

 tion of this species. It is strictly of the same subgeneric group as the prece- 

 ding, and the two are the only species known to me which present variegated 

 and iridescent lustres of plumage. The two species form a subgroup which I 

 regard as typical Quiscalus. 



2. Iloloquiscalus. 



All the species of this subgroup, known to me, are black, with purple or 

 violet lustre of various shades in different species, wings and tail uniformly 

 with greenish lustre. In any one species the lustre is nearly uniform on all 

 parts of the head and body. These species inhabit the West Indies and the 

 continent of America as far north as Mexico. 



In the large collection of Quiscahnse in the Museum of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, from the West Indies, in which the localities are most carefully and 

 accurately stated in the labels by Professor Baird, I have not succeeded in 

 finding any one species from more than one of the larger Islands. In other 



[Dec. 



