410 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSEBES— OSCINES. 



biiL^al half of the lateral feathers, but only the extreme base of the central pah-. Length 8.00; 

 extent 12.00; wing 4.00; tail 3. 40-3. GO, moderately rounded, the lateral feathers graduated 

 about 0.50; bill 0.90, attenuate and slightly decurved; tarsus 1.00. Young ^ : The black' 

 parts all overcast with grayish-olive skirting of the feathers, giving the prevailing tone on the 

 upper parts, but on the breast the black showing more clearly. The yellow likewise obscured 

 with grayish-olive, especially on the rump. Tail greenish-yellow, the middle feathers black- 

 ening. Wings dusky, all the quills and the greater and middle coverts broadly edged and 

 tipped with wliite. 9 * resembling the last described ; less white on the wings ; central tail- 

 feathers simply fuscous like the ends of the others. Southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona 

 and Southern California, near the Mexican border. Not yet well known or found breeding in 

 the U. S. Nesting essentially the same as that of other orioles, often in bunches of moss 

 or vines hanging in cactuses, quite near the ground; eggs 0.90X0.65, whitish, variously 

 blotched and dotted with purplish and blackish-browns. 

 330. I. melanoce'phalus aud'uboni. (Gr. fie^as, melas, gen. fieXavos, melanos, black; (ce^aX^, 

 ke2}hale, head. To J. J. Audubon.) Black-headed Oriole. Audubon's Oriole. Adult (^: 

 Black and clear yellow. Entire body rich gamboge- yellow, without orange or fame tint, but 

 shaded with greenish on back, sides, and upper tail-coverts ; under tail-coverts pure yellow, 

 like the belly. Middle and lesser wing-coverts and lining of wings pure yeUow, the former 

 with black bases concealed by the yellow tips. Head all around, fore neck and breast, glossy 

 jet-black, without any concealed yellow, except at edges of the black on the breast — the black 

 there thus ending ragged, different from the clean-cut border of cucullatus. Wings black, the 

 outer webs of the quills white-edged, especially on inner secondaries and outer primaries 

 toward their end ; greater coverts with white spot at end of outer web. Tail black, the outer 

 feathers more or less edged and tipped with Avhite. Bill and feet plumbeous-blackish, former 

 paler at base below. Length 9.25-9.75 ; extent 12.50-13.00 ; wing 4.00 ; tail rather more, 

 much graduated, the outer feathers 1.00 or more shorter than the middle. Bill stout, straight, 

 almost as in Agelaius; culmen fully 1.00. Tarsus 1.10 ; middle toe and claw the same. Adult 9 : 

 Quite like the $ ; not smaller, and little different in color, contrary to the rule in the genus 

 and family. Back rather more olivaceous ; wings rather more edged with white ; outer tail- 

 feather edged and tipped with whitish. The sexual characters long remained undetermined. 

 This fine oriole is little known : it is a large beautiful species, occurring in the U. S. only, as 

 far as known, in the Lower Rio Grande valley ; thence southward running into the true Mexican 

 melanocephalus. Said to be a magnificent songster, and a favorite cage bird. Nest half- 

 pensile, woven of grasses; eggs 0.95-1.00 by 0.67-0.72, white dusted with fine brown specks, 

 over which are stains and splashes of dark brown and lilac, with the coarse blackish hieroglyphs 

 usual in this genus. 



25. Subfamily QUISCALIN/E: Crow Blackbirds; Crackles. 



Closely resembling 

 the Aqelaince both in 

 •«ti n( ture and in habits, 

 111* s( birds are distin- 

 guished by the length 

 and <ittenuation of the 

 bill, with decidedly 

 curved culmen, es- 

 pecially towards the 

 end, more or less sin- 

 uate commissure, and 

 strongly inflected tomia. The bill is quite cultrirostral, and the typical Quiscali liave a certain 



Fig. 264. — Foot of a Quiscalus ( Q. macrurus, nat 



(From Baird.) 



