ICTERID^ — THE ORIOLES. 147 



Family ICTERID^. — The Okioles. 



Char. Primaries nine. Tarsi scutellate anteriorly ; plated behind. Bill long, generally 

 equal to the head or longer, straight or gently curved, conical, without any notch, the 

 commissure bending downwards at an obtuse angle at the base. Gronys generally more 

 than half the culmen, no bristles about the base of bill. Basal joint of the middle toe 

 free on the inner side ; united half-way on the outer. Tail rather long, rounded. Legs 

 stout. 



This family is strictly confined to the New World, and is closely related 

 in many of its members to the Fringillidw. Both have the angiilated com- 

 missure and the nine primaries ; the bill is, however, usually much longer ; 

 the rictus is completely without bristles, and the tip of the bill without 

 notch. 



The affinities of some of the genera are still closer to the family of 

 Sturnidce or Starlings, of which the Sturnus vulgaris may be taken as the 

 type. The latter family, is, however, exclusively Old World, except for the 

 occurrence of a species in Greenland, and readily distinguished by the con- 

 stant presence of a rudimentary outer primary, making ten in all. 



There are three subfamilies of the Ictc.rida\ — the Agelaince, the IcUrinm, 

 and the Quiscalince} which may be diagnosed as follows, although it is 

 difficult to define them with precision : — 



Agelainee. Bill shorter than, or about equal to, the head ; thick, conical, both mandibles 

 about equal in depth ; the outlines all more or less straight, the bill not decurved at tip. 

 Tail rather short, nearly even or slightly rounded. Legs longer than the head, adapted 

 for walking ; claws moderately curved. 



Icterinae. Bill rather slender, about as long as the head ; either straight or decurved. 

 Lower mandible less thick than the upper ; the commissure not sinuated. Tarsi not 

 longer than the head, nor than middle toe ; legs adapted for perching. Claws much 

 curved. 



Quiscalinee. Tail lengthened, considerably or excessively graduated. Bill as long as, 

 or longer than, the head; the culmen curved towards the end, the tip bent down, the 

 cutting edges inflexed, the commissure sinuated. Legs longer than the head, fitted for 

 walking. 



1 It is an interesting fact in regard to the specie? of Ideridce, that, as a general rule, female 

 birds of West Indian representatives of the Agelaince and Quiscalince are usually, or perhaps 

 universally, uniformly black, where the continental are brown, either concolored or streaked. We 

 know of no exception to the first part of this statement as to Agelaius, Nesopsar, Scolecophagus, 

 and Quiscalus. The smaller North American species of Quiscalus have the females duller, but 

 not otherwise very different from the males, except in size. The females of the large Quiscalus, 

 all continental, are much smaller than the males, and totally different. In Icterus all the species 

 in which the female is very different in color from the male are Northern Mexican or continental 

 North American (pust/ulaf.us, sp2irius, haltimnre, hullocki, cucullatus, etc.). Most West Indian 

 Icterus also exhibit no difference in the sexes, dominicensis, hypomelas, xanthomus, bonance, etc, ; 

 in one alone {leucopferi/x) is the difference appreciable. The South American species have the 

 females pretty generally similar to the males, but smaller, as is the case in the entire family. 



