PASSEEES ICTERIDAE AGELAEUS PLTOENICEUS. 



313 



generally escape observation. This is the case in Utah, where, in the earlier 

 part of the season, I have found them about the settlements in the hedges 

 along the roads, and even in the gardens ; while later in midsummer they 

 had retired to the deep rocky canons, where they skulked about in the 

 bushes in a silent, reserved manner. 



The presence of this bird in a locality will sometimes be made apparent 

 by the discovery of its eggs in the nests of another species, while the birds 

 themselves may entirely escape detection. Thus, at Fort Garland, Southern 

 Colorado, no birds were seen, but a single egg found in a nest of the Green- 

 tailed Finch sufficiently indicated its presence. At Denver, it was common 

 in small flocks of six or seven ; it was observed by Dr. Hoffman, in 1871, at 

 Portzarick and at Camp Independence, Cal. In some portions of Arizona, 

 and perhaps the extreme southwest generally, this species is replaced by the 

 dwarf variety (var. obscums), which, however, does not seem to occur in 

 very great numbers. A single specimen was shot by Dr. Rothrock on the 

 Gila River in October. 



Var. obscurus. 



AGELAEDS PHOENICEUS (Linn.). 

 Red-winged Blackbird. 



Or-iolus phceniceus, LiNN., Sysfr. Nat., i, 176(i, 161. 



Agelccus phceniceus, WOODH., Sitgreave's Exp. Ztmi & Col. Riv., 1854, 80. BD., Ives' 

 Col. Exped., 1857-58, pt. iv, G.IfL, Birds N. A., 1858, 526. Id., U. S. & 

 Mex. Bound. Snrv., ii, pt. ii, 1859, Birds, 18. XANTUS, Proc. Acad. Nat. 

 Sci. PLila., 1859, 192 (Fort, Tejon, Cal.). KENNEULY, P. R. E. Rep., 



