ICTERID.E — TUK OlUULErf. I47 



Family ICTERID^. — The Orioles. 



Char. Primaries nine. Tarsi scutellate anteriorly ; plated Ijeliind. Bill l(in<;-, f;euei'allv 

 eqnal to the head or longer, straight or gently eurved, conical, without any notch, tlie 

 coinmi-ssure bending downwards at an obtuse angle at the base. Gonys generally more 

 than half the cuhnen, no bristles about the base of bill. Basal joint of the middle toe 

 free on the inner side ; united half-way on the outer. Tail rather long, rounded. Legs 

 stout. 



This family is strictly confined to the Xew World, and i.s clo.sely related 

 in many of its members to the FrinfjiUidcc. Both liave the angulated com- 

 missure and the nine primaries ; the bill is, however, usually much longer ; 

 the rictus is completely witliout bristles, and the tip of the bill without 

 notch. 



The affinities of some of the genera are still closer to the family of 

 Sturnidcc or Starlings, of which tlie Sturnut; vulgaris may be taken as the 

 type. The latter family, is, however, exclusively Old World, e.xcept fur the 

 occurrence of a species in Greenland, and readily distinguished by tlie con- 

 stant presence of a rudimentary outer primary, making ten in all. 



Tliere are tliree subfamilies of the IdeHda\ — the Agelaina:, the Idcrinm, 

 and the Quisccdinw} which may be diagnosed as follows, although it is 

 difficult to define them with precision : — 



AgelainsB. Bill shorter than, or about equal to, the head; thick, conical, both mandibles 

 alioul cfiual in depth ; the outlines all more or less straight, the bill not decurved at tip. 

 Tail rather short, nearly even or sliglitly rounded. Legs longer than the head, adapted 

 for walking; claws moderately curved. 



Icterinae. Bill rather slender, about as long as the head ; either straiglit or decurved. 

 Lower mandible less thick than the upper ; the commissure not sinuated. Tarsi not 

 longer than the head, nor than middle toe; legs adapted for perching. Claws much 

 curved. 



Quiscalinae. Tail lengthened, considerably or excessively graduated. Bill as long as, 

 or longer than, the head; the culmen curved towards the end, the tip bent down, the 

 cutting edges inflexed, the commissure siuuated. Legs longer than the head, fitted for 

 walking. 



1 It is an interesting fact in regard to the species of Ideridcc, that, as a general rule, female 

 birds of West Indian representatives of the Agdainm and Quiscalincc are usually, or perhaps 

 universally, uniformly black, where the continental are brown, either eoncolored or streaked. We 

 know of no exception to the first part of this statement as to Agdaius, Nesopsar, Scolecopliagus, 

 and Quixcaliif:. The smaller North American species of Quiscahis have the females duller, but 

 not otherwise very different from the males, except in size. The females of the large Quiscalus, 

 all continental, are much smaller than the males, and totally different. In Idcru.i all the species 

 in which the female is very different ni color from the male are Noi-thern Mexican or continental 

 North American {pustulatus, spurivs, baUimore, btillodci, cucullaiius, etc.). Most West Indian 

 Icterus also exhibit no difference in the sexes, dmniniccnsis, hypomclas, xant/iomus, boimn<B, etc. ; 

 in one alone {leucopterijx) is the diflerence appreciable. The South American species have the 

 females pretty generally similar to the males, hut smaller, as is the case in the entire family. 



