1CTEUID.E - THE URIULES. 



140 



tail and the very^ lonj:^ middle toe, l>y means of wliirh it is enabled to rrrasp 

 the vertical stems of reeds or other slender plants. The e<d.>r of the single 

 species is black, varied with whitish patches on the upper parts. 



Dolichonyx oryzivorus, Swainson. - 



BOBOUHK; BBEDBIBD; BICEBIBD. 



Emhcriza oryzivorn, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 311. — Gm. I, 1788, 850. —Wilson, Am. 

 (^m. II, 1810, 48, pi. xii, f. 1, 2. Passcrina ori/zirora, Vif.illdt, Nouv. Diet. XXV, 

 1817, 3. Dolichonifx ori/zivora, Swainson, Zoul. .four. Ill, 1827, 351. — Ib. F. R<>r.- 

 Am. II, 1831, 278. — Bon. List, 1838. — I b. Cons|)eetus, 1850, 437. — Aid. Syn. 

 1839, 139. — In. IMnls Am. IV, 1842, 10, pi. icxi. — Gosse, Birds Jam. 1847, 229. — 

 Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 522. — Max. Cab. J. VI, 18.'5£, 266. — Coopf.r, Om. 

 Cal. I, 1870, 255. — Samuels, 33.5. Icterus ngripennis, Eonap. Obs. Wils. 1824, 

 No. 87. AUD. Om. Biog. I, 1831, 283 ; V, 1839, 486, pi. liv. — Nrrr. Man. I, 1832, 

 185. Icterus (Emhcrizoidcs) mjripennis, Bon. Syn. 1828, 53. Dolichonijx agripeiinis. 

 Rich. List, 1837. Psarocolius caicdacutics, Waoleu, Sysc. Av. 1827, 32. 



Sp. Char. General color of 7na?e in sprin^r, black; the nape brownish cream-color; a 

 patcli on the side of' the l)reast, the scapulars, ^ 



and rump, white, .shading into liirht ash on the 

 upper tail-coverts and the back below the inter- , 

 scapular region. The outer primaries sharply 

 margined with yellowish-white; the tertials less 

 abruptly ; the tail-feathers margined at the tips 

 with pale brownish-ash. In autumn totally 

 diflerent, resembling the female. 



Femnle^ yellowish beneath; two stripes on tlio 

 top of the head, and the upper parts through- 

 out, except the back of the neck and rump, and 

 including all the wing-feathers generally, dark 

 brown, all edged with biownish-yellow, which 

 becomes whiter near the tips of the quills. The 

 sides spars<^ly streaked with dark brown, and a 

 similar stripe behind the eye. There is a super- 

 ciliary and a median band of yellow on the head. Length of male, 7.7r> ; Aving, 3.83 ; 

 tail 3.15. 



Hab. Eastern L'nited States to the high Central Plains. North to Selkirk Settlement, 

 and Ottawa, Canada ; and west to Salt Lake Valley, Utah, and Ruby Valley, Nevada 

 (Ridgway) ; Cuba, winter (Cabax.) ; Bahamas (Bryant) ; Jamaica (Gosse, Scl., (Jet. ; 

 March, Oct., and in spring) ; James Island, Galapagos, Oct. (Gould) ; Sombrero, W. I. 

 (Lawrence) ; Brazil (Pelzeln) ; Yucatan. 



A female bird from Paraguay (Dec, 1859) is undistinouishable from the 

 average of northern ones, except by the smaller size. Specimens from the 

 western plains differ from those taken near the Atlantic Coast in having 

 the light areas above paler, and less obscured by the grayish wash so preva- 

 lent in the latter ; the ochraceous of the nape being very pale, and at the 

 same time pure. 



Dolichonijx oryzivorus. 



