ICTERID^ — THE ORIOLES. 213 



Synopsis of Species and Varieties. 



A. QUISCALUS. Sexes nearly similar in plumage. Color black ; each 

 species glossed with different shades of bronze, purple, violet, green, etc. Lateral 

 tail-feathers about .75 the length of central. Hah. Eastern United States. Pro- 

 portion of wing to tail variable. 



Q. purpureus. a. Body uniform brassy-olive without varying tints. Head 

 and neck steel-blue, more violaceous anteriorly. 



1. Length, 13.50 ; wing, 5.50 to 5.65 ; tail, 5.70 to 5.80, its graduation, 

 1.50 ; culmen, 1.35 to 1.40. Vivid blue of the neck all round abruptly 

 defined against the brassy-olive of the body. Female. Wing, 5.20 ; tail, 

 4.85 to 5.10. Hob. Interior portions of North America, from Texas 

 and Louisiana to Saskatchewan and Hudson's Bay Territory; New 

 England States ; Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory . . . var. aeneus . 



b. Body variegated with purple, green, and blue tints. Head and neck 

 violaceous-purple, more blue anteriorly. 



2. Length, 12.50 ; wing, 5.60 ; tail, 5.30, its graduation, 1.20 ; culmen, 

 1.32. Dark purple of neck all round passing over the breast, and 

 appearing in patches on the lower parts. Wing and tail purplish ; tail- 

 coverts reddish-purple. Female. Wing, 5.10 ; tail, 4.50. Hob. Atlan- 

 tic coast of United States ...... var. p u rp ur eus. 



3. Length, 11.75; wing, 4.85 to 5.60 ; tail, 4.60 to 5.50, its graduation, 

 .90; culmen, 1.38 to 1.66. Dark purple of neck sharply defined against 

 the dull blackish olive-green of the body. Wings and tail greenish- 

 blue ; tail-coverts violet-blue. Female. Wing, 4.65 to 4.90 ; tail, 3.80 



to 4.60. Hub. South Florida ; resident .... var. ag elaius. 



B. HOLOQUISCALUS. (Cassin.) Tail shorter than wings; sexes similar. 

 Color glossy black, but without varying shades of gloss ; nearly uniform in each 

 species. Tail moderately graduated. Hab. West India Islands, almost exclu- 

 sively; Mexico and South America. 



Q. baritus. Black, with a soft bluish-violet gloss, changing on wings and 

 tail into bluish-green. 



Culmen decidedly cjirved ; base of mandibles on sides, smooth. 



1. Bill robust, commissure sinuated ; depth of bill, at base, .54 ; culmen, 

 1.33 ; wing, 6.15 ; tail, 5.50, its graduation, 1.30. Female. Wing, 5.20 ; 



tail, 4.70 ; other measurements in proportion. Hab. Jamaica, var. baritus.'^ 



2. Bill slender, commissure scarcely sinuated ; depth of bill, .43; 

 culmen, 1.35 ; wing, 5.40 ; tail, 5.10, its graduation, 1.20. Female. 



Wing, 4.60 ; tail, 4.20. Hab. Porto Rico . . var. brachy pterus.^ 



Culmen almost straight ; base of mandibles on sides corrugated. 



3. Depth of bill, .51 ; culmen, 1.44 ; wing, 6.00 ; tail, 5.50, its gradua- 

 tion, 1.50. Female. Wing, 5.15 ; tail, 4.80. Hab. Cuba. yar. gundlac hi .^ 



4. Depth of bill, .40 ; culmen, 1.35 ; wing, 5.00 ; tail, 4.50, its gradua- 

 tion, .85. Hab. Hay ti var. n ig e r .* 



1 Quiscalus baritus (Linn.), Cass. Proc. Ac. Nat. So. Phila., 1866, p. 405. {G-racula harita, 

 Linn. S. N. I, 165, 1766). Q. crassirostris, Swainson. 



2 Quiscalus brachypterus, Cass. Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 406. 

 ^ Quiscalus gundlachi, Cass. Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 406. 



* Quiscalus niger (Boddaert), Cass. Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 407. {Oriolus niger, Bodd. Tab. PI. 

 Enl. p. 31, 1783.) 



None of the continental forms are in the collection, and therefore their relationship to each 

 other and to the West Indian species cannot be here given. They are : (1) Q. lugubris, Swains. 



