318 



ZOOLOGY— HIRDS. 



ICTERUS PARISORDM, Bon. 



Scott's Oriole. 



Icterus imrisorum, Bon., "Acad. Bouon., 183(i"; Pioc. Zool. Soc, 1837, 109.— Bd., IMrds 

 N. A., 1858, 544.— M, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phihi., 1859, 305 (Capi' Saint 

 Lucas). — Id., U. S. & Mex. Bound. Surv., ii, pt. ii, 1859, Birds, 19, pi. xix, 

 f. 1.— Cooper, Birds Cal., 1870, x, 270.— Coues, Key N. A. Birds, 1872, 

 159.— Bd., Brew., & Ridg., N. A. Birds, 1874, iii, 188, pi. xxxv, f. 9. 



This oriole extends its range from Mexico into Arizona, where, how- 

 ever, it was only found by us close to the border ; the most northern 

 locality at which it was seen being about one hundred miles from the line. 

 We had no opportunities for studying its habits, beyond noting the localities 

 it aflfected. It appeared to be a bird peculiarly of the desert, and was only 

 obtained in the most forbidding sections, where the dry hills were clothed 

 only with a few stragghng bush Hke forms, and with the various kinds of 

 cacti, many of which were of great size. At the "Water Hole," near Camp 

 Lowell, Ariz., I saw seven or eight of these orioles during the few hours of our 

 stay here. They had evidently come in from the adjoining desert to slake 

 their thirst, and their shyness under the pressing need of water was remark- 

 able, since the minute they discovered our presence they turned about and 

 took flight back again, seemingly determined to submit to the deprivation 

 of water rather than endure our presence. 



