186 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Icterus melanocephalus, vm. auduboni, Ciuaud. 



AUDUBON'S OEIOLE. 



Icterus auduboni, Gikaud, Sixteen New Species Texas Birds, 1841 (not l)age(I). — Baip.d, 

 Birds N. Am. 1858, 542. — Ca.ssis, Pr. A. N. S. 1867, 53. XaiU/toniits mclanoccplta- 

 lus. Box. Consp. 1850, 434 (not the description of tlie young). Icterus melanocephnlus, 

 Cassin, 111. I, V, 1854, 137, jil. xxi (the description, but perhaps not the figure). 



Sp. Ciiah. Bill stout; upper and lower outlines very little curved downwards. Tail 

 much graduated. Head and neck all round (this color extending down on the throat), 

 tail, and wings black ; rest of body, under wing-coverts, and middle and lesser upper 

 coverts, yellow ; more olivaceous on the back. An interrupted band acro.ss the ends of 

 the greater wing-coverts, with the terminal half of the edges of tlie quills, white. Sup- 

 posed female similar, but the colors le.«s vivid. Length, 9.2.5; wing, 4.00; tail, 4.G.5; 

 tarsus, 1.10. 



Had. Valley of the Lower Rio Grande of Texas, southward ; Oaxaca (ScL. 1859, 38) ; 

 Xalapa (ScL. 132) : Vera Cruz (temperate regions; Sumichrast, M. B. S.). 



This bird is perhaps ratlier a local race (larger as more boreal) of I. 

 riiclanocc2}halu$'^ of Southern Mexico. Tiie difterences are indicated in the 

 foot-note. 



The adult male of this species can be distinouished from the young male 

 of /. p-osthcijidas only by stouter and less decurved bill, stronger feet, and 

 black instead of yellow middle wing-coverts. 



Habits. This handsome and rather recent addition to our fauna is a 

 Xorthern IMexican species, which extends nortli to the valley of the Kio 

 Grande and into Texas, from various localities in which it has been procured. 

 Lt. D. N. Couch, who found this species common from the L(jwer Rio Grande 

 to the Sierra Madre, speaks of the strong mtxtual attachment shown by the 

 sexes. He describes its song as soft and melancholy, and the notes as re- 

 sembling peut-j)ou-it. The sweetness of its notes renders it a favorite as a 

 caged bird. In the State of Vera Cruz this bird is given by Sumichrast as 

 inhabiting the temperate regions, and as there haviug exclusively their centre 

 of propagation. They are very commun in the district of Orizaba, where they 



1 Icterus melanoccplialus. Gray. Psarocoliiis melanocephalus, 'Waglbi:, Isis, 1829, 756. 

 Icterus melanocephabcs. Okay, Genera. — Sclater, Pr. Zobl. Soc. 1858, 97. — Casstn, Pr. A. 

 N. S. 1867, 53. — Baiud, Birds N. Am. 1858, 543. Xanllwnuis mclatwceplialus, BoN. Coiisp. 

 1850, 434 (description of young only). 1 1cterus (jradunfauda, Le.sson, Kev. Zoiil. 1839, 105. 



Sr. Char. Similar to /. auduboni, but without any wliite wliatever on the wing. Head and 

 neck all round, wings, scapulars, and tail, unifonn pure black. Rest of lindy, including in- 

 side of wing and tibia and the lesser wing-coverts, oi-ange-yellow ; clouded with olivaceous- 

 green on the back, less so on the rump. Bill and legs phinibeous, the fonner whiti.sli at base. 

 Length, 7.70 ; wing, 3.75 ; tail, 4.80. Hab. W.inn parts of Mexico. 



Very like the auduboni, but smaller, the bill much stouter, shorter, and the cuhnen more 

 curved. The third (piill is longest ; the fourth, fifth, and second successively a little shorter ; 

 the first and seventh about equal. The black of the Iiead and neck comes farther behind and 

 on the sides than in auduboni. The wings are totally destitute of the white edges of unills and 

 coverts as seen in atiduboni, and the middle coverts are black instead of pure yellow. The tail, 

 too, is entirelv black. 



