BKEWSTER: birds of the cape region, lower CALIFORNIA. 131 



Icterus cucullatus nelsoni Ridgw. 

 Arizona Hooded Oriole. 



Icterus cucullatus (not of Swainson) Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859,301, 

 305 (Cape St. Lucas). Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, 

 II. 1874, 194, part (abundant at Cape St. Lucas, with breeding liabits). Beld- 

 ixG, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 541 (Cape Region) ; VL 1883, 345 

 (Cape Region). 



Icterus nelsoni Salvin and Godman, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1887, 472, 473 (La 

 Paz ; abundant and breeding at Cape St. Lucas). 



Icterus cucullatus jielsoni Bryant, Pvoc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 295 (Cape 

 Region) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 188 (San Jose del Cabo). 



The characters pointed out by Mr. Ridgway are well maintained in the large 

 series collected by Mr. Frazar, all of the males of which can be readily distin- 

 guished from Texas specimens by the absence of any pronounced orange tint in 

 the yellow of the head, rump, and under parts. Most of my Lower California 

 skins have the yellow of the under parts duller and that of the head with u 

 more decided tinge of saffron, than in Arizona examples. In fact, the Lower 

 California bird seems to represent the extreme type of divergence from true 

 cucullatus. 



Individual variations. Spring ■plumage: — Adult male. The yellow varies 

 considerably in tint, especially on the head where it is often strongly tinged 

 with saffron. This color seems to be confined to the tips of the feathers, for, 

 as the season advances and the plumage wears, the head becomes nearly pure 

 yellow. One bird in my series has an elongated patch of yellow on the inner 

 web of each outer tail feather beginning about half an inch from its tip, and 

 extending backward nearly three fourths of an inch. There is an innnature 

 (or perhaps dichromatic) phase of plumage of the male (corresponding to that 

 of the Orchard Oriole), in which the bird reseinbles the adult male only in 

 having the full bhick " hood," the coloring otherwise being almost precisely 

 as in the female, although the yellow of the under parts is sometimes richer or 

 less greenish than in the latter. My series contains three specimens illustrating 

 this condition. 



Adult female. One of my specimens (No. 16,497, Triunfo, April 13, 1887) 

 has an obscure blackish patch in the middle of the breast. Traces of this exist 

 in one or two others, but as a rule the under parts are essentially plain. 



Autumnal plumage: — Adult male (No. 16,518, San Jose del Cabo, October 

 20, 1887). Yellow much deeper and browner than in spring birds — ou the 

 crown, sides of head and nape, rump and upper tail coverts, heavily overlaid 

 with olive, on the breast and sides of the body with raw sienna ; black of the 

 head and breast pure ; that of the back and scapulars nearly obscured by 

 grayish olive which forms a broad tipping on all of the feathers ; white edging 

 of wing coverts, secondaries, etc., broader than in the spring bird and tinged 



