BIRDS — ICTEBIDAE — QUISCALUS VERSICOLOR. 



555 



QUISCALUS MAJOR, Vieill. 



Boat-tailed* Grakle ; Jackdaw. 



Gracula barila, Wilsom, Index Am. Orn. VI, 1812, (not of Linnaeus.) 



Gracula quiscala, Ord. J. A. N. So. I, 1818, 253, (not of Linnaeus.) 



Q.uiscalu.i major, Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. XXVIII, 1819, 487.— Bon. Am. Orn. I, 1835, 35 ; pi. iv.— Ib. List, 18.38.— 



Ib. Consp. 1850, 424.— AoD.Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 504 : V, 1838, 480 ; pi. 187.— Ib. Syn. 1839, 



146.— Ib. Birds Araer. IV, 1842, 52 ; pi. 220- 

 Chalcophanes major, " Temm." Cabanis, Mus. Hein. 1851, 196. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill longer than the head. Feathers of the crown stiff and coarse. Tail moderate, about equal to the wing, much 

 graduated, the lateral feathers about 2.50 inches shortest. General color lustrous black ; the head, neck, and fore part of the 

 breast glossed witli purple, passing insensibly on the rest of the body to green. 



Length, about 15 inches ; wing, 7 ; tail, 7.25. Bill above 1.55. 



Hab. — Southern Atlantic and Gulf coast. Mouth of Rio Grande, Texas. 



A specimen from Brownsville, Texas, though associated there with M. macrourus, appears to 

 possess all the characters of major. The loral region and space around the eye are quite hare of 

 feathers. 



List of specimens. 



QUISCALUS VERSICOLOR, Vieillot. 



CroAV Blackbird ; Purple Grakle. 



Gracula quiscala, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 165.— Gmelin, I, 1788, 397.— Latham, ;ind. I, 1790, 191— Wilson, 

 Am. Orn. Ill, 1811, 44 ; pi. xxi, f. 4. 



Chalchophanes quiseaiiis, Wagler, Syst. Av. 1827, {Gracula.) — Cab. Mug. Hein. 1851, 196. 



? ? Oriolus ludovicianus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 387 ; albino var. 



? ? Oriolus niger, Gmeliv, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 393. 



? Grocitia purpurea, Bartram, Travels, 1791, 290. 



Quiscodts versicolor, Vieillot, Analyse? 1816.— Ib. Nouv. Diet. XXVITI, 1819, 488.— Ib. Gal. Ois. 1,171; pi. 

 cviii.— BoN. Obs. Wils. 1824, No. 45.— Ib. Am. Orn. I, 1825, 45 ; pi. v.— Ib. List, 1838.— 



Ib. Conspectus, 1840, 424.— Sw. F. Bor. Am. 11, 1831, 485 Nottall, Man. 1, 1832, 194.— 



Ahd. Orn. Biog. 1, 1831, 35 : V, 1838, 481 ; pi. vii.— Ib. Syn. 1839, 146.— Ib. Birds Amer. 

 IV, 1842,58; pi. 2QI. 



Gracula barita, Ord, J. A. N. Sc. I, 1818, 253. 



" Quisco/us purpitreus, Licht." 



Q,uiscalus nitens, Light. Verz. 1823, No. 164. 



^uiscalus purpuratus, Swainson, Anim. in Menag. 1838, No. 55. 



Purple Grakle, Pennant, Arctic Zool. II. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill above, about as long as the head, more than twice as long as high ; the commissure moderately sinuated and 

 considerably decurved at tip. Tail a little shorter than the wing, much graduated, the lateral feathers 1.10 inches shorter. 

 Third quill longest ; first between fourth and fifth. Head and neck all round well defined steel blue ; the rest of the body with 



