Species of the Family Icteridse. 153 



Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1866, p. 415; Gundl. J. f. O. 1874, 

 p. 134 (Cuba). 



Atro-violaceus iinicolor ; alls caudaque nigris ; cauda paulum 

 rotundata : long, tota 9'5, alae i'9, caudse rectr. med. 4'0, 

 ext. 3 7. Fern. Mari similis^ sed crassitie paulo minore 

 et minus nitida. 

 Hub. Cuba. 

 Mus. P. L. S. et S.-G. 



Genus IV. Quiscalus, 



Qidscalus, Yieill. Analyse, p. 37 (1816) : type Q. versicolor. 

 Quiscala, Licht. Doubl. p. 18 (1823) : type Q. versicolor. 

 Scaphidurus, Sw. Phil. Mag. n. s. i. p. 437 (1827) : type 



Q. palusiris. 

 Chalcophanes, Wagler, Syst. Av. (sub Graculd) (1827) : type 



Q. versicolor. 

 Holoquiscalus, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Sc. Phil. 1866, p. 404 : type 



Q. crassirostris. 

 Megaquiscalus, Cassin, op. cit. p. 409 : type Q. major. 



This very difficult series of birds, commonly classed as 

 " Quiscalus," I will consider under the subgeneric heads 

 Quiscalus, Megaquiscalus, and Holoquiscalus, as arranged by 

 Cassin. 



a. Quiscalus. 



Clavis siibs2)ecierum. 



Corpore peneo-nitente unicolore ceneus. 



Corpore versicolore : 



major : rostio robustiore versicolor. 



minor : rostro tenuiore aglceus. 



I cannot say I am satisfied as to the rather finely drawn 

 distinctions between these three races of the old-fashioned 

 Q. versicolor. It is very difficult to allocate some of the 

 adult male specimens now before me decidedly, and impos- 

 sible to do so in the case of the females and young birds ; 

 but mainly out of respect to the American ornithologists 

 I retain the three forms as subspecies. 



