ICTERIDa; — THE AMERICAN ORIOLES. 



809 



general result to wliich we can find no parallel in any of the musical 

 performances of our other song-birds. It is at once a unique and 

 a charming production. Nuttall speaks of their song as monotonous, 

 ■which is neither true nor consistent with his own description of it. 

 To other ears they seem ever wonderfully full of variety, pathos and 

 beauty. 



■'The young, in due time, assume the development of mature 

 birds, and aU wear the sober plumage of the mother. And now 

 there also appears a surprising change in the appearance of our 

 gayly attired musician. His shoAvj* plumage of contrasting white 

 and black, so conspicuous and striking, changes with almost instant 

 rapidity into brown and drab, until he is no longer distinguishable, 

 either by plumage or note, from his mate or young." 



One would suppose that the terrible slaughter carried into the 

 ranks of this species during its autumnal migration would materially 

 diminish its numbers. That this has been the result is a fact which 

 has been noted by many persons resident in those portions of the 

 country where the Bobolink is a familiar summer sojourner. 



The Bobolink breeds only in the northern part of Illinois, where, 

 according to Mr. Coale, it<is an abundant summer resident. In the 

 middle and southern portions of the State it is transient only, 

 merely passing hurriedly tln-ough in spring and fall, but so different 

 in plumage and habits during the two seasons that probably few 

 persons suspect theu" being the same bird. 



Gejjvs M0L0THRX7S Swainson. 



Molothrus Swainson, F. Bor.-Am. ii, 1S3I. 277. Type, Fringilla pecoris Gii..=Oriolus 

 ater Bodd. 



"Gen. Char. Bill short, stout, about two thirds the length of head; the commissure 

 straight. culmen and gonys slightly curved, convex, the former broad, rounded, convex, 

 and running back on the head in a point. Lateral toes nearly equal, reaching the base of 

 the middle one, which is shorter than the tarsus: claws rather small. Tail marly even; 

 wings long, pointed, the first quill longest. As tar as known, the species make no nest, 

 but deposit the eggs in the nests of other, usually smaller, birds. 



"The genus Molothrus has the bill intermediate between Dolichonyx 

 and Agelahw. It has the culmen unusually broad between the nos- 

 trils, and it extends back some distance into the forehead. The 

 difierence in the stracture of the feet from Dolichonyx is very great. 



"Species of Molothrus resemble some of the FrinciiUidfe more than 

 most of the typical Icteriche. The bill is, however, different, the tip 



