ZOOLOGY. 209 



I found them quite abundant on the ploughed fields near Fort Vancouver. Some of these had 

 probably remained throughout the winter. I found them quite abundant at Fort Steilacoom 

 in February, 1856. At Fort Dalles, on the 2d of May, 1855, I obtained young birds nearly 



fledged. S. 



ICTERUS BULLOCKII, Bon. 



Bullock s Oriole. 



Xanthornus buttocJdi, Sw. Syn. Mex. Birds, Taylor s Phil. Mag. I, 1827,436. 



Agelaius bullockii, RICH. Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1837. 



Icterus bullccJcii, BON. List, 1838. AUD. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 9; pi. 388 and 433. Is. Birds Amer. IV, 1842, 43; 



pi. 218. NEWBERRY, Rep. P. R. R. VI, iv, 1857, 87. BAIRD, Gen. Rep. Birds, p. 549. 



SP. CH Tail very slightly graduated. Upper part of the head and neck, back, wings, two central tail feathers, line from 

 base of bill through the eye to the back of the nape, and a line from the base of the bill running to a point on the throat, 

 black. Under parts generally, sides of head and neck, forehead and line over the eye, rest of tail feathers, rump, and upper 

 tail coverts, yellow orange. A broad band on the wings, involving the greater and middle coverts, and the outer edges of 

 the quills, white. Young male with the black replaced by greenish yellow, that on the throat persistent ; female without this. 

 Length, about 7.50 inches ; wing, 3.80; extent, 12; iris brown, bill black above, bluish below, feet gray. 

 Hub. High Central Plains to the Pacific ; rare on upper Missouri ; south into Mexico ; more abundant in the sparsely 

 wooded districts of the eastern base of the Cascade mountains than in the coast region of Washington Territory. 



Bullock s oriole does not arrive at Puget Sound until the beginning of June, and is not very 

 common there. Its habits are similar to those of the orchard oriole, it being shy and difficult 

 to discover among the foliage. Its song is more like that of the Baltimore, loud, clear, and 

 varied. Nuttall appears to have mistaken this song for that of the black-headed grosbeak, 

 which I never met with in the Territory, and calls this oriole a poor musician. From its 

 shyness and similar colors such a mistake might easily occur. 



A nest, probably of this species, I found in California in November, containing eggs, which 

 had been deserted. It was entirely formed of white horsehair and cotton twine, and suspended 

 in a low branch of an oak. C. 



This beautiful bird is exceeding abundant at Fort Dalles, and also along the east base of 

 Mount Adams, in Washington Territory. In the spring it arrives at Fort Dalles at the same 

 time as the Muscicapa verticalis. During May they are very abundant among the low oaks of 

 that place. The song of the male is very pleasant, and is especially melodious early in the 

 morning, when the bird is generally perched on the sunny side or top of an oak. I saw one or 

 two individuals of this species on the Nisqually plains, Puget Sound, in the summer of 1854 ; 

 whereas, in 1856, although I kept a bright lookout for it, I did not see one. This shows that 

 this bird, like many others, is subject to caprices of migration. I obtained several skins at 

 Fort Dalles, where, during the breeding season, it is easily obtained. 



A specimen (No. 168) of a male of this species, obtained by me at Fort Dalles, May 7, 1855, 

 exceeded the average measurements given under the head of &quot;specific characters:&quot; length, 

 8.08; extent, 12.75; wing, 4. S. 



SCOLECOPHAGUS CYANOCEPHALUS. 



Brewer s Blackbird. 



Psarocolius cyanocephalus, WAGLER, Isis, 1829, 758. 



Scolecophagus cyanocephalus, CABAXIS, Mus. Hein. 1851, 193. 



Scolecophai/us mexicanus, SWAINSON, Anim. in Mem. 2} cent. 1838, 302. BON. Conspectus, 1850, 423. NEWBERRY, 



Zool. Cal. and Or. Route ; Rep. P. R. R. Surv. VI, iv, 1857, 86. 

 Quiscalus bretveri, AUD. Birds Amer. VII, 1843, 345; pi. 492. 



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