130 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOiJLOGY. 



the light edging on the wing coverts and secondaries much broader and more 

 or less tinged with yellowish. Some of the males show a few black feathers, 

 possibly of the coining autumnal plumage, on the breast and throat. 



General remarks : — Upon comparing spring specimens in full plumage from 

 Lower California with others from Arizona and northwestern Mexico, I find two 

 slight differences which seem to be correlated with geographical distribution. 

 The yellow of the rump and under parts in the male of the Lower California 

 bird is lemon, whereas in all my Arizona skins it is gamboge. The posterior 

 outline of the black on the breast is also more clearly defined in the Lower 

 California specimens than in those from Arizona. In the latter many of the 

 posterior black feathers are tipped with yellow. Mexican examples appear to 

 be intermediate in both these respects between the Arizona and the Lower 

 California specimens. I do not find any constant differences in size or propor- 

 tions between the birds from the several regions just mentioned. There is per- 

 haps a greater tendency to black on the head, throat, etc., in the female from 

 Lower California than in that from Mexico and Arizona, for, as already men- 

 tioned, all the spring females before me which wholly lack the black are from 

 Arizona or western Mexico. 



In the Cape Region Scott's Oriole is resident, but perhaps somewhat more 

 numerously represented in summer than in winter. At the former season it is 

 very generally distributed, occurring almost everywhere from the lowlands along 

 the coast to the summits of the higher mountains. It shows a marked prefer- 

 ence, however, for dry, barren country such as that about Triunfo, where Mr. 

 Frazar met with it in the greatest numbers. On July 8 at Pierce's Ranch 'he 

 found a nest " containing three young, nearly large enough to fly. This nest 

 was made of the yellow fibre of palm leaves, and was lined with a few long, 

 black horse-hairs. It was placed among the densest foliage of a fig-tree at a 

 eight of about eight feet, and rested on a few small twigs, but seemed to be 

 fastened only to some twigs above, from which it was suspended. It was not 

 deep, for the heads of the young appeared above the upper edge." 



Scott's Oriole has been found at various places in the central and northern 

 portions of the Peninsula as well as near San Diego and Los Angeles, California, 

 the locality last named being perhaps the most northern one to which it ever 

 extends its summer range. In the mountain portions of Lower California it is 

 said by Mr. Bryant, on the authority of Mr. Anthony, " to prefer the low hills 

 near tlie coast south of San Quintin, where it nests in the thorny branches of 

 the candlewood (Fouquiera columnaris ) ." 



Scott's Oriole also breeds in southern Arizona, New Mexico, and western 

 Texas. " In winter it passes southw^ards as far as Central Mexico in the States 

 of Puebia and Vera Cruz; and Sumichrast includes it amongst the birds of the 

 temperate and alpine regions of the latter State. It breeds, he says, in the 

 temperate region, and is found as high as between 5,000 and 6,000 feet above 

 the sea in the neighborhood of Orizaba, and at even higher altitudes in the 

 plateau . " ^ 



1 Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1887, 463, 464. 



