468 5 YS TEMA TIC S YNOPSIS. — PA SSERES — OSCIXES. 



C. robus'tus. (Lat. y-obustus, sitciut, strong, robust; robur, strength.) Brass Cowbird. 

 Bronzed Cowbird. Red-eyed Cowbird. Adult $: Entire body and head black, splen- 

 didly lustrous with bronzy reflections, the tint much like that of the back of Quiscalus ceneus. 

 This rich brassy-black uniform over the whole bird, there being no distinction of color between 

 head and body, as in 31. ater. The bronze only on ends of the feathers, the covered parts of 

 which are violet-black, with plain dusky roots. Wings and tail black, with violet, purple, 

 and especially green metallic lustre on upper surfaces. Under wing- and tail-coverts chiefly 

 violaceous-black ; purplish and violaceous tints most noticeable on upper coverts of both wings 

 and tail; reflections of quill-feathers themselves chiefly green. Bill ebony-black. Feet black. 

 Iris red. Length 8.00-8.50; extent about 15.00; wing 4.50-475; tail 3.25-3.50; tarsus 1.15- 

 1.25; bill 0.90 along culinen, very stout and especially deep at base, much compressed; lateral 

 outlines concave ; under outline straight ; upper gently convex throughout ; tip very acute. 

 9 notably smaller : wing scarcely over 4.00; tail about 3.00; culmen scarcely 0.75; tarsus 

 1.00. Color not brown, as in 31. ater 9 , but uniformly quite black, with considerable gloss, 

 though nothing like the brassy splendor of ^. Wings and tail with greenish reflections. 

 Young (J: Uniform dull black, faintly violaceous on back and rump, greenish on wings and 

 tail. Early spring birds, in imperfect dress, are exactly like adult 9 iu color, but much larger. 

 Central America and Mexico to the Lower Rio Grande of Texas, abounding in some places ; a 

 large and very handsome Cowbird, added to our Fauna in 1877. It is a bird of striking aspect, 

 with its bloody eyes and top-heavy attitudes. Polygamous and parasitic like the others, but 

 egg entirely diSerent, being greenish-white, or pale bluish-green, without markings ; size 0.85- 

 0.95 X 0.65-0.75; average 0.90 X 0.70. Found in nests of Icferia, Icteras, Cardinalis, Gui- 

 raca, 3Iilvulus, Tyrannus, etc., the birds victimized thus being much larger than the average of 

 those selected by the common Cowbird. 



AGELiE'US. (Gr. dyeXaior, agelaios, gregarious ; dyeXr], a flock. The A. 0. U. continues to 

 misspell the word ^^Agelaius," after Vieillot's original error.) Red-wing Marsh Black- 

 birds. Maize-birds. Maizers. Bill about as long as head, stout at base, where deeper 

 than broad, upper and under outlines on an average about straight ; commissure variously sinu- 

 ate or bent; culmen high on forehead, where flattish and broadly parting the feathers; bill 

 rapidly tapering to acute tip. Wings pointed, but 1st primary not longest ; usually 2d-4th 

 entering point of wing. Tail even or little rounded, of broad feathers widening a little to very 

 obtuse ends, somewhat divaricate in the middle. Tarsus a little longer than bill. Our three 

 species are very closely related : ^ uniform lustrous black, with bend of wing red ; 8.00-9.00 

 long; wing 4.50-5.00 ; tail 3.50-4.00. 9 everywhere streaked ; above blackish -brown with 

 pale streaks, inclining on head to form median and superciliary stripes; below, whitish, with 

 many sharp dusky streaks ; sides of head, throat, and bend of wing, tinged with reddish or 

 fulvous; length under 8.00; wing about 4.00; tail 3.00. The young ^ at first like the 9, 

 but larger, apt to have a general buff"y or fulvous suffusion, witli bright bay edgings of feathers 

 of back, wings, and tail, and soon showing black patches. The 9 9 are scarcely distinguish- 

 able: the J (J may be determined as foUows: 



Annlysis of Species. 



cf Middle wing-coverts buff, bordering the bright red patch pJxienireus 



(f Middle wing-coverts buff, but black-tipped, u.sually leaving red patch without buff border .... ftiihrniufnr 

 (f Middle wing-coverts white, bordering the dark red patch tricolor 



A. phoeni'ceus. (Gr. (^oiviKeos, jjhoinikeos, Lat. phamiceiis, red, of a color introducfnl in 

 Greece by the Phceniciaus. Fig. 310.) Blackbird. Marsh Blackbird. Swamp Black- 

 bird. Red-winged Blackbird. Red-and-buff-shouldered Marsh Blackbird. 

 Maize-thief. Hussar. $: Lesser wing-coverts scarlet, like arterial blood, broadly bordered 

 by brownisli-yellow, or brownish-white, the middle row of coverts being entirely of this cnh.r; 



