524 TJ. S. p. R. B. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



MOLOTHRUS PECORIS, Swain son. 



Cow Black bird; Cow bird. 



FringUla pecoiis, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 910, (female).— Lath. IjkI. Orii. I, 1790, ■143.— Light. Verzeicli. 1823, 



Nos. 230, 231. 

 Emboizajiecoris, Wils. Am. Orii. II, 1810, 145; pi. xviii; f. 1, 2, 3. 



Iclenis pecoris, Bonap. Obs. Wilson, 1824, No. 88.— Aud. Oin. Eiog. 1,1831, 493: V, 1839, 233, 490; pi. 99 and 424. 

 Icterus (Emberizoides) pecoris, Bon. Syn. 1828, 53. — Ib. Specehio comp. No. 41. — Nutt. Man. I, 1832, 175; 2d ed. 



190. 

 Pttsserina pecoris, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. XXV, 1819, 22. 

 PsarocuUus pecoris, Wagler, Syst. Av. 1827, No. 20. 



J\lolothrus pecoris, Swxifisof!, F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 277.— Rich. List, 1837.— Bon. List, 1838.— Ib. Consp. 1850, 

 436 — AuD. Syn. 1839, 139.— Ib. Birds Amer. IV, 1842, 16; pi. 212.— Cabanis, Mus. llein. 1851 , 

 193. 

 ? Oriolusfuscxts, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 393. 

 ? Sturnus obscurus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 804. Evidently a Moluthrus, and probably, but not certainly, the 



present species. 

 "Icterus emberizoides, Daitdin." 



9 Slurnus junceli. Lath. Ind. I, 1790, 32G, (same as Sturnxis obscurus, Gm.) 

 ? Fringilla a7nbigua, TfcTTALL, Man. I, 1832, 484, (yomig). 



Sp. Ch. — Second quill longest ; first scarcely shorter. Tail nearly even, or very slightly rounded. Male with the head, 

 neck, and anterior half of the breast, light chocolate brown, rather ligliter above; rest of body lustrous black, with a violet 

 purple gloss ne.vt to tlie brown, of steel blue on the back, and of green elsewhere. Female liglit olivaceous brown all over, 

 lighter on the head and beneath. Bill and feet black. Length 8 inches; wing, 4.42; tail, 3.40. 



Ilab. — United States from the Atlantic to California; not found immediately on the coast of tlie Pacific' 



The young bird of the year is brown above, brownisli white beneath ; the throat immaculate. 

 A maxillary stripe and obscure streaks thickly crowded across the whole breast and sides. 

 There is a faint indication of a paler superciliary stripe. The feathers of the upper i)arts are 

 all margined with paler. There are also indications of the light bands on the wing.s. These 

 markings are all obscure, but perfectly appreciable, and their existence in adult birds may he 

 considered as embryonic, and showing an inferiority in degree to the species with the under 

 jiarts perfectly plain. 



The Frinr/illa pecoris of Gmelin, from which the specific name of the bird is usually derived 

 is based essentially on the Fringilla virginiana of Brisson. Tlie description is "brown, beneath 

 paler, tail sub-bifurcated." This is scarcely a satisfactory diagnosis, althougli the descriptions 

 of Pennant and lAatham, likewise quoted by Gmelin, are very accurate. The Sturnus obscurus 

 of Gmelin is evidently a Molotlirus, but described from Mexico, and may possibly not be the 

 present species, although the chances are in its favor. The 0;vWms/«.5cms of Gmelin is j^robably 

 the present bird, but may be a Scolecophagus. Under the circumstances, therefore, it may bo as 

 well to retain the name oi pecoris, about which, from the context there can be no doubt, in pre- 

 ference to using any of the really prior names oi fuscus or oiscurus. 



