524 U, S. p. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



MOLOTHRUS PECOEIS, Swain son. 

 Cow Black bird; Cow bird. 



Fringillapecoris, Gmelin, Sjst. Nat. I, 1788, 910, (female).— Lath. Iiid. Cm. I, 1790, 443. — Liciix. Verzeich. 1823, 



Nos. 230, 231. 

 Emlienzapecoris, Wils. Am. Orn. II, 1810, 145; pi. xviii; f. 1, 9, 3. 



Icterus pecoris, Bonap. Obs. Wilson, 1834, No. 88.— Aud. Orn. Biog. 1, 1831, 493 : V, 1839, 233, 490; pi. 99 and 424. 

 Icterus (Emberizoides) pecoris, Bon. Syn. 1828, 53.— Ib. Speccliio comp. No. 41.— Nutt. Man. I, 1832, ITS; 2d ed. 



190. 

 Pusserina pecoris, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. XXV, 1819, 22. 

 Psarocolius pecoris, Wacler, Syst. Av. 1827, No. 20. 

 JtfoiofArus pecoris, SwAiNsoN, F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 277.— Rich. List, 1837.— Bon. List, 1838.— Ib. Consp. 1850, 



436— Add. Syn. 1839, 139.— Ib. Birds Amer. IV, 1842, 16; pi. 212.— Cabanis, Mus. Hein. 1851, 



193. 

 ? Oriolusfuscus, Ghelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 393. 

 9 Sturnus obscunis, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788,804. Evidently a. Molothrus, ai:d probably, but not certainly, the 



present species. 

 "Icterus emberizoides, Daddin." 



9 Sturnus jmiceti. Lath. Ind. I, 1790, 32G, (same as Sturnus obscurus, Gm.) 

 9 Fringilla ambigua, Ndttall, Man. I, 1839, 484, (young). 



Sp. Ch. — Second quill longest ; first scarcely shorter. Tail nearly even, or very slightly rounded. Male with the head, 

 neck, and anterior half of the breast, light chocolate brown, rather lighter above; rest of body lustrous black, with a violet 

 purple gloss next to the brown, of steel blue on the back, and of green elsewhere. Female light olivaceous brown all over, 

 lighter on the head and beneath. Bill and feet black. Length 8 inches; wing, 4.42; tail, 3.40. 



Hab. — United States from the Atlantic to California ; not found immediately on the coast of the Pacific .' 



The young bird of the year is brown above, brownish white beneath ; the throat immaculate. 

 A maxillary stripe and obscure streaks thickly crowded across the whole breast and sides. 

 There is a faint indication of a paler superciliary stripe. The feathers of the upper parts are 

 all margined with paler. There are also indications of the light bands on the wings. These 

 markings are all obscure, but perfectly appreciable, and their existence in adult birds may be 

 considered as embryonic, and showing an inferiority in degree to the species with the under 

 parts perfectly plain. 



The Fringilla pecoris of Gmelin, from which the specific name of the bird is usually derived^ 

 is based essentially on the Fringilla virginiana of Brisson. The description is "brown, beneath 

 paler, tail sub-bifurcated." This is scarcely a satisfactory diagnosis, although the descriptions 

 of Pennant and Latham, likewise quoted by Gmelin, are very accurate. The Sturnus obscurus 

 of Gmelin is evidently a Molothrus, but described from Mexico, and may possibly not be the 

 present species, although the chances are in its favor. The Oriolusfuscus of Gmelin is probably 

 the present bird, but may be a Scolecophagus. Under the circumstances, therefore, it may be as 

 well to retain the name of pecoris, about which, from the context there can be no doubt, in pre- 

 ference to using any of the really prior names of fuscus or obscurus. 



