188 



Family ORIOLID^. 



Key to the Genera. 



a. Lores feathered, but generally with a 



little bare space behind the eye .... 1. Obiolus, p. 188. 



b. Lores bare, as also all the region around 



and behind the eye 2. Sphecotheres, p. 223. 



I cannot determine any valid characters whieli shall serve for the 

 discrimination of the genera Psai-opJioJus, Analcipus, or Mimeta. 

 They appear only to form sections of the large genus Oriolus, di- 

 stinguished by the colour of their plumage, which is not, in my 

 mind, a sufficient generic character. 



1. ORIOLUS*. 



Type. 



Oriolus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 160 (1766) O. galbula. 



Mimetes, King, Survey Austr. ii. p. 419 (1827) . . O. viridis. 

 Mimeta, Vigors, Tr. Linn. Sue. xv. p. 326 (nom. 



emend.) 0. viridis. 



Analcipus, Strains. Faun. Bor.-Amer.-p. 482 (1831) 0. cruentus. 

 Ptilocarpus, 311111. Tijdschr. Nat. Gesch. Phys. 



ii. p. 331 (1835) 0. cruentus. 



Psaropholus, Jard. i^- Selhy, III. Orn. iv. pi. 26 



(c. 1837) 0. trailli. 



Erythrolanius, Less. R. Z. 1840, p. 274 0. cruentus. 



* The following species are unknown to me. 



1. Oriolus philippessis. 



Oriolus philippensis, J. E. Gray, Zool. Misc. p. 3 ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 346 ; 



G. Ii. Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 292. no. 4321 ; Walden, Tr. Z. S. ix. p. 186. 



Head, upper part of neck, back, epigastrium, and tail coal-black ; lower part 



of neck, chest, belly, and rump bright golden yellow, paler on the back of the 



neck ; bill yellow ; wings and feet wanting. Length 7^ inches. 



Hab. Philippine Islands {Capt. Hay). 



2. Oriolus affinis. 

 Oriolus affinis, Gould, B. Austr. folio, i. Intr. p. liii. ; Gray, Hand-l. B. i. 



p. 293. 

 Mimeta affinis, Bp. Consp. i. p. 346 ; Gould, Sg.ndb. B. Austr. i. p. 465. 



" This species differs from Mimeta viridis in having a smaller body, a shorter 

 wing, a much larger bill, and in the white spots at the tips of the lateral tail- 

 feathers being much smaller in extent. Although I have not at this moment 

 an}' specimens wherewith to institute a comparison, I have but little doubt that 

 this bird is quite distinct from its southern representative M. viridis." — Gould. 



Hab. Port Essington. 



Obs. Mr. Gould has no specimens of this bird, which seems to me to be a 

 very doubtful species. All the Orioles in the British Museiuu from the locahty 

 quoted are, in my opinion, the young of O. Jlaricincfus. 



