ICTERID^ — THE ORIOLES. 



149 



tail and the very long middle toe, by means of which it is enabled to grasp 

 the vertical stems of reeds or other slender plants. The color of the single 

 species is black, varied with whitish patches on the upper parts. 



Dolichonjrx oryzivorus, Swainson. 



BOBOLINK; REEDBIED ; RICEBIRD. 



Emheriza oryzivora, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 311. — Gm. I, 1788, 850. — Wilson, Am. 

 Orn. II, 1810, 48, pi. xii, f. 1, 2. Passerina oryzivora, Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. XXV, 

 1817, 3. Dolichomjx oryzivora, Swainson, ZooL Jour. Ill, 1827, 351. — Ib. F. Bor.- 

 Am. II, 1831, 278. — Bon. List, 1838. — Ib. Conspectus, 1850, 437. —Aud. Syn. 

 1839, 139. — Ib. Birds Am. IV, 1842, 10, pi. ccxi. — Gosse, Birds Jam. 1847, 229. — 

 Baikd, Birds N. Am. 1858, 522. — Max. Cab. J. VI, 1858, 266. — Cooper, Orn. 

 Cal. I, 1870, 255. — Samuels, 335. Icterus agripcnnis, Bonap. Obs. Wils. 1824, 

 No. 87. Aud. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 283 ; V, 1839, 486, pi. liv. — Nutt. Man. I, 1832, 

 185. Icterus (Ember izoicles) agripennis, Bon. Syn. 1828, 53. Doliclwnyx agripennis. 

 Rich. List, 1837. Psarocolius caudacutus, Wagler, Syst. Av. 1827, 32. 



Sp. Char. General color of male in spring, black; the nape brownish cream-color; a 

 patch on the side of the breast, the scapulars, 

 and rump, white, shading into light ash on the 

 upper tail-coverts and the back below the inter- 

 scapular region. The outer primaries sharply 

 margined with yellowish-white ; the tertials less 

 abruptly ; the tail-feathers margined at the tips 

 with pale brownish-ash. In autumn totally 

 different, resembling the female. 



Female, yellowish beneath; two stripes on the 

 top of the head, and the upper parts through- 

 out, except the back of the neck and rump, and 

 including all the wing- feathers generally, dark 

 brown, all edged with brownish-yellow, which 

 becomes whiter near the tips of the quills. The 

 sides sparsely streaked with dark brown, and a 

 similar stripe behind the eye. There is a super- 

 ciliary and a median band of yellow on the head. Length of male, 7.70 ; wing, 3.83 ; 

 tail 3.15. 



Hab. Eastern United States to the high Central Plains. North to Selkirk Settlement, 

 and Ottawa, Canada ; and west to Salt Lake Valley, Utah, and Ruby Valley, Nevada 

 (Ridgway) ; Cuba, winter (Caban.) ; Bahamas (Bryant) ; Jamaica (Gosse, Scl., Oct. ; 

 March, Oct., and in spring) ; James Island, Galapagos, Oct. (Gould) ; Sombrero, W. I. 

 (Lawrence) ; Brazil (Pelzeln) ; Yucatan. 



A female bird from Paraguay (Dec, 1859) is undistinguishable from the 

 average of northern ones, except by the smaller size. Specimens from the 

 western plains differ from those taken near the Atlantic Coast in having 

 the light areas above paler, and less obscured by the grayish wash so preva- 

 lent in the latter ; the ochraceous of the nape being very pale, and at the 

 same time pure. 



Dolichonyx oryzivorus. 



