374 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



yellow, more or loss tinged with olivc-grecnish on uppci" sur- 

 face.) 

 e'. Scapulars entirol}- olive-greenisU or yellowish, like back ; 

 middle wing-coverts yellow ; outer webs of greater wing- 

 coverts tipped with whitish (sometimes inclining, more or 

 less, to yellow or graj'ish), and tertials broadly edged with 

 same. Young : Without anj- black, the upper parts entirely 

 olive-green, the lower parts wholh' yellow, tinged laterally 

 with olive. Length about 8.75-10.50, wing 3.75^.25, tail. 

 4.15-4.40, culmen .90-1.10, tarsus .95-1.10. Xest semi-pen- 

 sile, fastened usually between upright twigs, composed of 

 dried grasses, etc. Eggs .99 X -71, white, finely speckled 

 or "dusted," chieflj- on larger end, with brown, usually 

 mixed with stains of lilac-gray. Hab. Central and north- 

 ern Mexico, north to lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. 



503. I. audubonii Gir.\ud. Audubon's Oriole. 



e'. Scapulars and luiddlc wing-coverts partly' (sometiinos enliroly) 



black ; wings without anj' white markings ; otherwise very 



similar to I. audubonii, but averaging a little smaller. Hab. 



Southern Mexico (tierra calicnte) north to Vera Cruz. 



I. melanocephalus (Wagl.). Black-headed Oriole.' 

 b'. Bill distinctly decurved terminally. 



c\ Tail longer than wing, graduated for at least as much as length of 

 tarsus ; adult males yellow, or orange, and black. 

 d}. Tail graduated for much more than length of tarsus ; adults with 

 entire head and neck black. (Adult males : Head, neck, chest, 

 back, scapulars, wings, except lesser and middle coverts, upper 

 tail-coverts, and tail, uniform deep black ; rest of plumage j-el- 

 low, or orange, the lower tail-coverts sometimes black. Adult 

 females similar, but colors duller. Young inales : The black first 

 appearing on wings, chest, thi-oat, cheeks, and forehead, the 

 blacic of head and neck at one stage occupying precisely the 

 same area as in adult male of 7. eucuUatus. Older : Head, nape, 

 forepart and sides of neck, and chest entirely black, but lower 

 hind-neck, back, and scapulars olive-3-cllow. like lower back and 

 rump.' Still older: Similar to the last, but back and scapulars 

 mixed with black. Young of year: Without anj' black, the 

 upper parts dull olive, duller and browner on back, the 

 wings and middle tail-feathers dusky, with olivaceous edgings, 

 rest of tail-feathers olive, with yellowish edges, and lower 



I PinrnrnUiin mtlnnoccjihabit Waol., Isis, 1S29, 756. Icterm melniwcephahu HAns & KrsTER, VSg. au3 

 Asicn, Lief. vi. 2, pi. S. 



' tn thU stiiRO oxnctly rosorablin? in colnralinn the fully ft<Iult iilumii?o of I. mclanocephatiin anJ /. aiirfii- 

 hom!, except that the secondaries, etc., lack the white edgings of tho latter, while in /. vxjijleri the tail-coverti 

 nre black. 



