580 PASSERIFORMES CHAP. 
a horny swelling there. The legs are stout, being long in the 
terrestrial Agelaeinae, Sturnellinae, and Quiscalinae, and not much 
shorter in the Icterinae and Cassicinae ; Dolichonyx has the middle 
toe, and the Sturnellinae the hallux elongated. The wings are 
long or moderate, being often pomted with far-extended outer 
secondaries in the Sturnellinae. The tail varies in length and 
form, but is much graduated in the Quiscalinae (Boat-tails), which 
usually carry it in flight with the outer feathers uppermost ; it has 
acuminate rectrices in the Sturnellinae, Leistes, and Dolichonyz, 
while in the last-named it is forked. Cassiculus, Hurycorystes, 
and some species of Ostinops have crests, the male of Cassidix a 
neck-frill, Lampropsar erect frontal plumes, the Sturnellinae bristly 
crown-feathers, Hypopyrrhus, Curaeus, and Aphobus lanceolate 
feathers on the head. Gymnomystax possesses naked orbits. 
The Cassicinae, or Cassiques, are sometimes uniform black, some- 
times black relieved by chestnut, yellow, green, or scarlet; the 
bill being frequently white, instead of the usual black or brown. 
The Agelaeinae are generally black, varied with red and yellow, 
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, the Bobolink, being, however, black, brown, 
buff, and white, with a duller plumage in winter. The Sturnel- 
linae are brown, variegated with black; having scarlet or canary 
yellow under parts, and in Sturnella magna, the “ Meadow-Lark,” 
a black gorget. The Icterinae (all but one of which belong to 
the extensive genus Jcterus) are glossy black, with yellow, bay, or 
orange patches—especially upon the rump and lower surface— 
and often some white on the wing. The Quiscalinae are black, 
occasionally with metallic gloss, and scarlet or brown markings. 
The females are commonly similar to the males, especially in 
the Cassicinae, but are sometimes comparatively sombre. -Agelaeus 
phoeniceus, the “ Red-winged Starling,” several males of which 
have been captured in Britain, Jcterus baltimore, the “ Baltimore 
Oriole” and Quiscalus versicolor, the “ Crow-Blackbird,” are good 
exainples of their respective groups. The curious resemblance of 
Sturnella and Macronyx has already been mentioned (p. 500). 
Some of the Family are large birds for Passeres, Gymnostinops, for 
instance, being the size of a Rook; they are commonly gregarious,and 
frequent forests or wooded country, the Agelaeiae and Sturnellinae 
in particular preferring open grassy places and marshes, and all 
seeming fond of the neighbourhood of water. . The Cassicinae only 
range from South Mexico to Paraguay and Bolivia; but the other 
Cc 
