Tlie Boh-Litik, or Rice-Bird. 237 



the return of spring, irapelled by the inscrutable instinct implanted in his 

 nature by the Creator, commences his annual journey to the North, there to 

 bring forth and watch over the young broods, and enliven the green fields 

 with his song. About the 1st of May they reach the Northern and Western 

 United States, and shortly after are spread all over Canada. 



Sir John Richardson saw them on the plains of the Sascatchewan in 

 latitude 54°, north. The breeding season over, they again return to the 

 South, again destroy the fields of the planter, and are themselves destroyed. 



The generic name is derived from the Greek, {Dolichos,) long ; and 

 (Onyx,) a claw, in allusion to the length of the claws. The specific name is 

 from the Greek, (Oryza,) rice ; and the Latin verb, {Vow,) to devour. 



The following is Audubon's description of the genus, which contains 

 only the one species : — 



DoLiCHONYx, (Swains.) Rice-Bird. 



" Bill rather short, very stout, moderately compressed, conical ; upper 

 mandible with the dorsal line straight, a little convex at the base, and very 

 slightly deflected at the end, its ridge rather broad, indistinct, sides rounded, 

 edges direct, overlapping, tip rather acute ; lower mandible "with the angle 

 of moderate length, very broad, dorsal outline ascending slightly convex at 

 the base, sides erect and convex, tip acute ; gape-line ascending for a fourth 

 of its length, then direct. Nostrils small, elliptical, operculate. Plumage 

 blended, but firm, with little gloss. Wings rather long, pointed, the first 

 quill longest. Tail of moderate length, the feathers narrow and acuminate. 

 Toes large ; claws very long, little arched, slender, tapering to a fine point. 



" Dolichonyx oryzivora, Linn. Wandering Rice-bird. Bob-o-link. — 

 Maybird. Ortolan. 



" Male with the head, cheeks, lower parts, wings, and tail, black ; a 

 band of brownish-yellow across the hind neck ; the back anteriorly black, 

 the feathers with yellowish edges, posteriorly light grey, passing into white, 

 of which colour are the scapulars. Female with the upper parts light 

 yellowish-brown, longitudinally streaked with blackish-brown ; the lower 

 pafts light greyish-yellow, the sides streaked with dusky. In autumn, the 

 males assume the plumage of the female. 



Male 7, 11. 



Passes from Texas eastward and northward. Breeds from the Middle 

 Districts northward. Extremely abundant. Migratory. 



Rice-Bunting, Eraberiza oryziora, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ii. p. 48. 



Icterus agripennis, Bonap. Syn. p. 53. 



Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Sharp-tailed Rice-Bird, Swains. & Rich. F. 

 Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 278. 



Rice-Bird, or Bob-o-link, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 185. 



Rice-Bird, Icterus agripennis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 283 ; v. v. p. 486/' 



