PASSERES— ICTERIDAB— AGELAEUS PHOENIGEUS. 



313 



generally escape obsei'vation. This is the case in Utah, where, in the earlier 

 part of the season, I have found them about the settlements in the hedges 

 along the roads, and even in the gardens ; while later in midsummer they 

 had retired to the deep rocky canons, where they skulked about in the 

 bushes in a silent, reserved manner. 



The presence of this bird in a locality Avill sometimes be made apparent 

 by the discovery of its eggs in the nests of another species, while the birds 

 themselves may entii-ely escape detection. Thus, at Fort Garland, Southern 

 Colorado, no birds were seen, but a single egg found in a nest of the Green- 

 tailed Finch sufficiently indicated its presence. At Denver, it was" common 

 in small flocks of six or seven ; it was observed by Dr. Hofi"man, in 1871, at 

 Portzaiick and at Camp Independence, Cal. In some portions of Arizona, 

 and perhaps the extreme southwest generally, this species is replaced by the 

 dwarf variety (var. obsciirus), which, however, does not seem to occur in 

 very great numbers. A single specimen was shot by Dr. Eothrock on the 

 Gila River in October. 



Var. obsciirus. 



919 



Locality. 



Gila River, Ariz 



Oct. 3, 1874 



Dr. J. T. Rothrock.... 



Wing. 



0.93 



AGELAEQS PHOENIGEUS (Linn.). 

 Red-wingred Blackbird. 



Orioltis phceniceus, Linn., Syst. Nat., i, 17G0, IGl. 



Agelwus plioeniceus, Woodh., Sitgrcive's E.xp. Zufii & Col. Eiv., 1854, SO. — Bd., Ives' 

 Col. Esped., 1857-58, pt. iv, G.—Ifl, Birds N. A., 1858, 52G.—I(l, U. S. & 

 Mex. Bound. Surv., ii, pt. ii, 1850, Birds, 18.— Xantus, Proc. Acad. N;it. 

 Sci. PLila., 1859, 102 (Forf Tejon, Cal.).— Kennekly, P. R. R. Rep., 



