﻿Aruba, Curasao, and Bonaire. 297 



Araer. p. 540) to be the case with other species of Icterus. 

 I dissected specimens with green tails that had swollen 

 testes and had paired. The black tail is assumed by- 

 changing the colour, not by moult, as two of my specimens 

 clearly show. 



7. Icterus icterus (Linn.). 



Oriolus icterus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 161 (1766). 



Icterus vulgaris, Daud. Tr. d'Orn. ii. p. 430; Scl. Cat. B. 

 B. M. xi. p. 382. 



Icterus vulgaris (subsp.?), Peters, J. f. O. 1892, p. 114 

 (Curacao) . 



Peters (/. c.) says that this bird occurs on Curacao, and is 

 said to be paler than the continental form. After carefully 

 comparing my specimens with those in the British Museum, 

 I must say that my birds, on the contrary, have very bright 

 colours, and that they are indistinguishable from the con- 

 tinental Icterus icterus. My specimens are rather short- 

 winged, but those from Santa Marta in the British Museum 

 are quite similar. An example from Carupano is a good 

 deal larger, but there are others intermediate. A specimen 

 from an unknown locality in H. v. Berlepsch's museum has 

 white spots on the outer rectrices, and one from Carthagena 

 is rather paler than my bh'ds. 



<$ ad. sect. Aruba, 27 vi. Total length about 9 inches, 

 wing 4*4, tail 4, tarsus 1*2, culmen 1*28. 



? ad. sect. Aruba, 27 vi. Total length about 9 inches, 

 wing 43, tail 3'9, tarsus 12, culmen 1'3. 



J sect. Curacao, 2 viii. Total length about 9"5 inches, 

 wing 4*35, tail 4, tarsus 1-3, culmen 1*37. 



? sect. Curacao, 2 viii. Total length about 8- 75 inches, 

 wing 4*15, tail 3 '9, tarsus 1*25, culmen 1*24. 



My specimens are in a somewhat worn plumage. I did 

 not find any nests ; but, as everybody on Curacao knows, they 

 are totally different from those of Icterus xanthornus in not 

 having the long tube. 



This bird is much appreciated as a cage-bird on account of 

 its pure flute-like notes, and is often sent for sale from 

 Venezuela. 



[9] 



