ICTERID^ — THE ORIOLES. 159 



Middle wing-coverts wholli/ huff in male. 



Wing, 4.40; tail, 3.80; culmen, .95; tar.sus, 1.00. Hab. Cuba. 

 b. Females striped beneath ...... var. assimilis .^ 



Wing, 4.90 ; tail, 3.85 ; culmen, .90 ; tarsus, 1.10. Female. 

 White stripes on lower parts exceeding the dusky ones in width ; 

 a conspicuous lighter superciliary stripe, and one strongly indicated 

 on middle of the crown. Hab. Whole of North America, south 

 to Guatemala ........ var. phoeniceus. 



Middle wing-coverts black, except at base. 



Wing, 5.00; tail, 3.90 ; culmen, .90 ; tarsus, 1.10. Female. White 

 stripes on lower parts narrower than dusky ones; the posterior 

 portion beneath being almost continuously dusky. No trace of 

 median stripe on crown, and the superciliary one indistinct. Hah. 

 Pacific Province of United States, south through Western Mexico. 



var. gub ernator . 

 Middle wing-coverts tvholly white in inale. 



B. tricolor. Tail square. Red of the shoulders a brownish-scarlet, or 

 burnt-carmine tint. Black of the plumage (both sexes at all ages) with a 

 silky bluish lustre. Female with wing-coverts edged Avith pure white. 



Wing, 4.90; tail, 3.70; culmen, .97; tarsus, 1.13. Female. Like 

 that of gubernator, but with scarcely any brownish tinge to the 

 plumage, and the lesser wing-coverts sharply bordered with pure 

 white. Hab. California (only ?). 



Agelaius phoeniceus, Vieillot. 



SWAMP BLACKBIRD ; REDWING BLACKBIRD. 



Orwlus phceniceus, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1, 176G, 161. — Gmelin, I, 1788, 386. —Lath. Ind. 

 Orn. I, 1790, 428. Agelaius phceniceus, "Vieillot, Anal. 1816." — Swainson, F. 

 Bor.-Am. II, 1831, 280. — Bonap. List, 1838. — 1b. Cousp. 1850, 430. —Aud. Syn. 

 1839, 141. — Ib. Birds Am. IV, 1842, 31, pi. ccxvi. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 

 526. — Max. Cab. J. VI, 1858, 263. —Cooper & Suckley, 207. —Cooper, Orn. CaL 

 I, 1870, 261. — Samuels, 341. — Allen, Birds E. Fla. 284. Icterus phceniceus. 

 Light. Verz. 1823, No. 188. — Bon. Obs. Wils. 1824, No. 68. — Aud. Orn. Biog. I, 



1831, 348 ; V, 1839, 487, pi. Ixvii. Psarocolius j)hoeniccus, Wagler, Syst. Nat. 1827, 

 No. 10. Icterus {Xanthornus) phceniceus, Bonap. Syn. 1828, 52. — Nuttall, Man. 1, 



1832, 167, (2d ed.,) 179. Sturnus prcedaiorius, Wilson, Am. Orn. IV, 1811, 30, pi. 

 XXX. Red-winged Oriole, Pennant, Arctic ZoiJl. II, 255. 



Sp. Char. Tail much rounded ; the lateral feathers about half an inch shorter. Fourth 

 quill longest ; first about as long as the fifth. Bill large, stout ; half as high, or more 

 than half as high, as long. 



Male. General color uniform lustrous velvet-black, with a greenish reflection. Shoul- 

 ders and lesser wing-coverts of a bright crimson or vermilion-red. Middle coverts 

 brownish-yellow, or buff, and usually paler towards the tips. 



Female. Brown above, the feathers edged or streaked with rufous-brown and 



1 Agelaius assimilis, Gundl. Cabanis, Journal, IX, 12 (nest). — Ib. Boston Journal, VI, 

 1853, 316. 



