ORIOLES. 249 



Greenland. The other is their probably successful introduc- 

 tion near New York." * 



a. Nearly eight inches long. Above, grayish brown ; be- 

 neath, white, or buff-tinged ; above and below, much streaked 

 with dusky. Outer tail-feathers, white. (Details omitted.) 

 Young much more yellowish, and less streaked. 



h. Of two eggs in my collection, one measures .95 X .65 

 of an inch, and is grayish white, thickly and minutely marked 

 with ashy brown, forming a dark ring about the crown. 

 The other is tinged with green, is more evenly marked, and 

 measures .90 X .70 of an inch. The nest is built upon the 

 ground. 



§ 17. The ICTERID^ (or Starlings f) include the Black- 

 birds, Orioles, etc. As Dr. Coues says : " The relationships are 

 very close with the Fringillidm on the one hand ; on the other, 

 they grade toward the Crows ( Corvidce}. They share with the 

 fringilline birds the characters of angulated commissure and 

 nine developed primaries [also scutellate tarsi, etc.], and this 

 distinguishes them from all our other families whatsoever ; but 

 the distinctions from the Fringillidce are not easily expressed. 

 In fact, I know of no character that, for example, will relegate 

 the Bobolink and Cow-bird to the Icteridce rather than to the 

 Fringillidfje^ in the current acceptation of these terms. In gen- 

 eral, however, the Icteridm are distinguished by the length, 

 acuteness, and not strictly conical shape of-the unnotched, un- 

 bristled bill, that shows a peculiar extension of the culmen 

 on the forehead, dividing the prominent antiae of close-set, 

 velvety feathers tliat reach to or on the nasal scale." 



With the exception of the Stiirnellce (or Meadow Larks), 

 who show an affinity to the true Larks, the sexes are unlike, 

 and the males are largely or wholly black, often higlily lus- 

 trous. 



* Now established and not nncom- ties hold that the two families are not 



mon on Long- Island, New York, but very closely related, and the Icteridce 



not reported as yet from any part of are now usually called Orioles. Hence 



New England. — W. B. I have adopted this name for the pag-e 



t The true Starlings (Sturnidce) are headings, but for obvious reasons have 



confined to the Old World, and the Ic- been forced to let " Starlings " stand in 



teridce to America. The best authori- the main text. — W. B. 



