ICTERUS. 



373 



c^. Feathers of thi-oat slenderly lanceolate; orbits naked. 



Adult (sexes alike): Head, neck, chest, back, scapulars, wings, 

 and tail uniform black ; middle and part of greater wing-cov- 

 erts, and broad edgings to secondaries, white ; rest of plumao-e, 

 including lesser wing-coverts and broad collar across hind-neck, 

 yellow or orange; length about 9.00-10.00, wing 4.10-5.00, tail 

 3.80-4.30, culmen 1.25-1.50, tarsus 1.25-1.35. ^Hab. Caribbean 

 coast of South America ; West Indies (introduced ?) ; accidental 

 at Charleston, South Carolina. 



502. I. icterus (Linn.). Troupial. 

 c^. Feathers of throat normal (short and blended); orbits feathered. 



d}. Tail shorter than wing, graduated for less than length of culmen. 

 Adult male: Head, neck, chest, breast, back, scapulars, 

 greater wing-coverts, secondaries, primaries, and terminal 

 (or subterminal) portion of tail (including nearly whole 

 length of middle feathers) uniform deep black; tips of 

 greater wing-coverts and tail-feathers (except middle pair), 

 and narrow edgings to quills and secondaries (sometimes 

 worn off), white ; rest of plumage bright lemon-yellow 

 (duller in younger birds), the middle wing-coverts fadino- 

 into whitish at tips. Adult female : Above olive-greenish, 

 the back and wings grayer, the first with more or less dis- 

 tinct dusky shaft-streaks ; middle and greater wing-coverts 

 broadly tipped with white, forming two distinct bands; 

 tail dull olive terminally and on middle feathers, the rest 

 olive-yellow; lower parts entirely olive-yellow. Young 

 male: Variously intermediate in plumage between the 

 adult male and female, according to age. Young of year : 

 Similar to adult female, "but with all the wing-feathers 

 edged and tipped with white, the wing-bands yellowish, 

 the tail tipped with yellow, the breast obscured by brown- 

 ish, and the yellow of the under parts paler and greener." 

 (Brewst.) Length about 7.70-8.50, wing 3.80-4.20, tail 

 3.30-3.90, culmen .95-1.00, tarsus .90-.95. (Female aver- 

 aging smaller than male.) Nest pensile or semi-pensile, 

 usuall}^ built in yuccas, composed of fibres of the j'ucca, 

 dried grasses, etc., lined with softer materials. Eggs 3-4, 

 .97 X -67, bluish white, speckled and finely pencilled round 

 larger end with black, and faintly clouded with lilac-gray. 

 Hah. Central Mexico, and north to southern border of 

 United States (southemi Texas to Arizona) ; Lower Cali- 

 fornia 504. I, parisorum Bonap. Scott's Oriole. 



d"^. Tail longer than wing, graduated for much more than length of 

 culmen. (Adult with head, upper neck, chest, wings, except 

 lesser and middle coverts, and tail, black; rest of plumage 



