BIKDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 197 



Ramje. — Southern Mexico to Parag-uay aud southern Brazil. (Mon^ 

 otypic/) 



Notwithstanding- resemblance to the Caciques and Oropendolas in 

 the broad and flattened basal portion of the culmen, the relationships 

 of this very strongly characterized genus are evidently much nearer 

 to Odlot/i.rus^ with which it agrees in the remarkable neck-ruft' (pres- 

 ent o)dy in these two genera), and its parasitic habits. It difi'ers from 

 CaJlnfJirus^ however, in its relatively much longer primaries with their 

 difl'erently shaped inner webs, longer tail, relatively longer bill, with 

 broad and flattened mesorhinium, very much larger size, and other 

 characters. 



KEY TO THE SUBSPECIES OP CASSIDIX ORYZIVOKA. 



a. Plumage strongly glossed with bronze or violet. (Adult males. ) 



h. Metallic gloss bronzy throughout (inclining to violet only on pileum and under 

 parts. (Tropical South America, except Colombia. ) 



Cassidix oryzivora oryzivora (extralimital)'^ 

 hb. Metallic gloss chietly or wholly violet. 

 c. Back Ijronzy; violet tips to feathers of under parts narrower; larger (wing 

 averaging 201.2, tail 152, culmen 37.8). (Colombia, including Isthmus of 

 Panama; Veragua?; Costa Rica?; Nicaragua?.) 



Cassidix oryzivora violea (p. 197) 



cc. Back violet, like rest of plumage; violet tips to feathers of under parts 



broader; smaller (wing averaging 189, tail 146, culmen 37). (Southern 



Mexico to British Honduras. ) Cassidix oryzivora mexicana (p. 199) 



aa. Plumage not strongly glossed with bronze or violet. (Adult females and imma- 

 ture males. ^) 



CASSIDIX ORYZIVORA VIOLEA Bangs. 

 COLOMBIAN RICE GRACKLE. 



Similar to C. <>. oryzivora^^ t)ut decidedly larger, and plumage of adult 

 male glossed with violet instead of In'onze (bronzy on back or back and 

 neck-ruffs only). 



Adult male. — General color black, ])ut feathers of head, neck, and 

 body more or less broadly tipped with glossy violet, this uniform on 

 head, neck, and back (the last inclining decidedly to bronzy), but on 

 the under parts forming a sharply defined terminal l)and or margin to 

 each feather, the basal black conspicuously exposed, these violet tips 

 becoming narrower posteriorly, and less distinct on rump than on 



^ The single known species differentiated into three or more geographic forms or 

 subspecies. 



^ \_Oriolus\ oryzivorus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, pt. i, 1788, 386 (Cayenne). — C[assidix-'] 

 OT[jzu'ora Cabanis, Mus. Hein., i, Sept., 1851, 19-4. — Cassidix oryzivora oryzivora Bangs, 

 Proc. New Engl. Zool. Club, ii., June 30, 1900, 11 (in text). This form is introduced 

 into the key for sake of comparison. 



^ The series of adult females and imuiature males is very imperfect, and therefore 

 I am unable to distinguish those of the several forms in the key. 



