ICTERID.E — THE ORIOLES — ICTERUS. 275 



Icterus cucuUatus, Swainsox. 



THE HOOBED ORIOLE. 



Icterus cucuUalus, Swainson, Phil. Mag. I. 18i7, 4.36. — L.vwnESCE, Ann. N. Y. Lye. V. Hay, 

 1851, 116 (first intruduceil into fauna of United States). — C.vssiN, III. I. ii. 18.53, 42; 

 pi. viii. — B.viRD, P. K. Reji. IX. Birds, .546. — Pendulinus cucuUatus, Bonaparte, 

 Consp. 1850, 43.'3. — Ca.ssin, Pr. A. N. Sc. Pliil. 1867, 60. 



Sp. Char. Both mandibles mneh curved. Tail nuieli graduated. Wings, a rather 

 narrow band across the back, tail, and a patch starting as a narrow frontal band, involv- 

 ing the eyes, anterior half of cheek, chin, and throat, and ending as a rounded patch on 



Male. 



the up])er part of lireast, black. Rest of liody orange yellow. Two bands on the wing 

 and the edges of the ijuills white. 



Female without the black patch of the throat ; the up|ier parts generally yellowish- 

 green, browner on the back. Length, 8.50 ; extent, 11.00; wing, 3.75. Iris brown ; bill 

 black, its base below blue ; feet dark lead-color. 



Hah. Valley of the Rio Grande, southward. Southern California. Al)undant at Cape 

 St. Lucas. 



I found this species arriving at San Diego about April 22d, and they 

 were not rare for a fortnight afterwards, but then retired into the warmer 

 interior valleys, where I have seen them nearly as far north as Los Angeles. 

 While migrating they were nearly silent. 



Captain McCown, U. S. A., found them quite abundant along the Ilio 

 Grande in Texas. They were generally sliy in the woods, but a jiair l>e- 

 came quite familiar around his quarters, alighting on tlie roof, and prying 

 into the crevices in search of insects, (dassin.) 



