546 



V. S. p. E. E. EXP. AND SUEVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENEEAL EEPOET. 



ICTERUS CDCULLATUS, Swain son. 



Hooded Oriole. 



Icterus cucullalus, Swainson, Philos. Mag. I, 1827, 436 — Lawrence, Ann. N. Y. Lye. V, May, 1851, IIC, (first 



introduced into fana of United States.) — Cassin, 111. I, ii, 1853, 42 ; pi. viii. 

 Pendulinus ciicttllatus, Bon. Consp. 1850, 433. 



Sp. Ch. — Both mandibles much curved. Tail much graduated. Wings, a rather narrow band across the back, tail, and a 

 patch starting as a narrow frontal band, involving the eyes, anterior half of cheek, chin, and throat, and ending as a rounded 

 patch on the upper part of breast, black. Rest of body orange yellow. Two bands on the wing and the edges of the quills 

 white. 



Female without the black patch of the throat ; the upper parts generally yellowish green, browner on the back. 



Length, 7.50; wing, 3.25. 



Hai. — Valley of Lower Rio Grande, southward. 



In tliis species the bill is slender towards the attenuated acute tip ; hoth mandibles consider- 

 ably curved downwards. Third and fourth quills longest ; fifth scarcely shorter ; first less 

 than the sixth. Tail rather long, cuneate, the feathers much graduated; the outer an inch 

 shorter than the inner. 



The orange color varies in different parts of the body, being much redder on the head and 

 breast ; the orange feathers are white towards the base, and pass through yellow to the tints at 

 the tip. The tibia and under wing coverts are yellow. The tail feathers are black, though 

 their extreme concealed bases are light yellow ; each one has a slight brownish white tip. The 

 upper white band on the wing is formed by the lower series of secondary covert feathers, 

 which are white to their bases ; the second band across the edges of the greater coverts is much 

 narrower. The quills are entirely black. The black mark on the head has the eye in its 

 posterior upper corner. The black band on the back is about an inch long. The bill is blacky 

 but plumbeous at the base of the lower mandible. The eye is said to be brown. 



This species somewhat resembles /. mesomelas, (Psarocolius mesomelas, Wagler, Isis, 1829, 

 755) ; the latter, however, has a much stouter bill ; the colors clear yellow instead of orange, 

 except on the head ; the wing coverts yellow, not black, and the wings without white ; the tail 

 feathers chiefly yellow, not black, &c. 



lAst of specimens. 



