﻿528 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ZVTUSEUM vol. loo 



Hartert. Hellmayr's statement (Catalogue of the Birds of the 

 Americas, pt. 10, 1937, p. 133, footnote) that birds from northeastern 

 Venezuela help bridge the gap between true nigrogularis and trinitatis 

 must therefore be restricted to the birds of the Paria coastal areas. 



This yellow oriole was common in the dry bushy fields and dry 

 woods edge around both Cantaura and Caicara, It was not common 

 near the wet woods and was rarely seen in the same places as the 

 preceding species. During the winter months these bii-ds wandered 

 about, usually in small, rather quiet flocks of three to five birds. 

 The flocks tended to break up as April approached and by the middle 

 of that month the males were in full song. By the second week in 

 May the hanging yellomsh fiber nests were common; although an 

 individual was observed making a nest as early as April 4. Nests 

 were found in April, May, June, September, and October. 



The call note of this species is a loud, harsh cheek. The song is 

 composed of four to eight clear, whistled notes, each note remaining 

 on the pitch at which it began and not slurring from one to the other 

 as in the more striking notes of the "turpial" (/. i. icterus), which 

 was also fairly common in the area. 



Local name, "pespes." 



' '■ ICTERUS ICTERUS ICTERUS (Linnaens) 



Oriolus icterus Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 12, vol. 1, 1766, p. 161 (based 

 primarily on "Le Troupiale" Brisson, Ornithologia, vol. 2, p. 86, pi. 8, fig. 

 1, "in America calidiore"=" Cayenne" ex Brisson). 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 cf, Cantaura, July 2, 1947; gonads greatly enlarged; iris yellow, eye ring blue, 

 feet and base of bill blue-gray; gizzard contained insects; plumage very worn. 



This beautiful oriole was rather strictly limited to the deciduous 

 seasonal woods-edge habitat, where it was rather common, being 

 recorded throughout the year. 



The gonads of the July male were greatly enlarged. Locally, this 

 oriole is supposed to use the nest of the Phacellodomus nijifrons 

 inornatus rather than build a nest of its own. The collector can neither 

 confirm nor deny this belief, but in April he did observe the bird on 

 two occasions, in different localities, entering and leaving one of 

 these nests. 



The commonest call is a clear, loud, whistled tur-pee-al, the second 

 syllable high and accented, usually repeated many times. 



Local name, "turpial." 



GYMNOMYSTAX MEXICANUS (Linnaens) 



Oriolus mexicanus Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 12, vol. 1, 1766, p. 162 ("Cay- 

 enne"). 



