PROCEEDINGS 01' UNITED STATES NATIONAL 5IUSEUM. 



DESCRIPTION OF A IVE^V SPECIES OF ICTERUS FROM THE WEST 



INDIES. 



By GEOISGE N. I.A\^^KET^CE. 

 Icterus ohhri. 



Male: Head, neck, iii^per part of breast, back, wiiig-s, and tail black ; 



lower part of breast, abdomen, nnder tail-coverts, and rump lij,dit- 



brownish chestnut, with the concealed bases of the feathers of a clear 



light yellow; the thighs are yellow, with a wash of chestnut; edge of 



wing and under wing-coverts yellow; bill black, with the sides of the 



nnder mandible bluish for half its length from the base ; tarsi and toes 



black. 



Length (skin), 8i inches; wing, 3|; tail, 4; tarsus, J; bill. 



The female has the upper plumage of a dull greenish olive, with a yel- 

 lowish tinge, the front and rump inclining more to yellow ; the tail 

 feathers are yellowish green ; qnills. brownish black; the primaries and 

 secondaries are edged narrowly with dull yellowish gray; the tertiaries 

 are margined with fulvous ; wing-coverts dark brown, margined with 

 fulvous ; edge of wing yellow ; the under plumage is of a rather dull 

 dark yellow ; the breast and under tail-coverts are of a deeper or warmer 

 color ; the sides are greenish olive ; bill and legs as in the male. 



The young male resembles the female in plumage, but has the back 

 somewhat darker. 



Types in National Museum, Washington. 



It differs from all its allies, which are somewhat similarly colored, in 

 having the shoulders black, instead of yellow or chestnut. 



Seven specimens were obtained. 



In the early part of March of the present year, Mr. Ober left for the 

 West Indies, intending to exi)lore as many of the islands not visited on 

 his first exi)edition as his limited time would permit. He returned after 

 an absence of six months, and his collections sent to the Smithsonian 

 Institution were placed in my hands for examination. Among them I 

 found but one new species, viz, the Icterus above described, procured in 

 Montserrat. 



It seems but a fitting compliment that the only new species commem- 

 orative of the second expedition of Mr. Ober should bear his name. 



The catalogues of tlie birds obtained by him in the different islands 

 will be published in the Proceedings of the National Museum as soon 

 as he furnishes me with his notes and observations thereon. 



October 15, 1880. 



