180 



NORTH AMEIilCAX BIRDS. 



diversity and lirilliiincy of i)luiiiai;e as the others are (with lew exce])tions) 



tor their unit'urin sombre bhick, scarcely relieved by other colors. Of the 



four genera of this subfainilv, recoij;nized l>v GrdV, all but CccicHS are well 



represented m tlie United States. This differs from all the rest in hav- 



uv^ the culnien widened and much depressed owards the base, where 



it advances in a crescent on the forehead, se])amting the frontal jdumes. 



In the otlier i^enera the cnlmen advances somewhat on the forehead, but 



it is in a narrow acute point, and not dilated. 



In studying the North Ameri- 

 can Orioles we have found it 

 exceedini>lv ditticiilt to armnue 

 them in anv sharply delined 

 sections, as whatever characters 

 be taken as the basis of classi- 

 fication, the other features will 

 not correspond. Thus, species 

 wkh the bill of the same pro- 

 portions and amount of curva- 

 ture difler ni the sliape and 



graduation of the tail, while tails of the same form are accomi)anied by 



entirely dissimilar bills and wings The bill is sometimes much attenuated 



and decurved, as in /. cucullatHs, 



while in mehinoccpltalus and halti- 



iiiore it is stouter and straighter. 



The tail ^s usually much graduated ; 



in /. haltiiiiorc and hdJIoiki it is 



onlv moderately rountled. These 



last-mentioned species constitute 



the genus HjipJtantcs. ^lany of the 



species have a naked space round 



tlie eye, very evident in /. vuhjaris, 



less so in mclanocipJuiliLs. I. vulgaris is peculiar in having the feathers of 



the throat pointed and lanceolate, as in the ravens. 



In viev/ of the dithculties attendant upon the definition of subordinate 



groups among the United States Icfcrincr, we propose to consider them all 



under the single genus Ivftrus, leaving it for some one with more ingenuity 



to establish satisfactory divisions into sub-genera.^ 



^ An attt'ini»t at <livisii<n into suhi,'on('ra is as foHows : — 



Icterus, bill >\v\\X, ioni«;il, the culiacn and <:onys nearly strai<;ht. Tail graduated. Species : 

 vuh/an's, (luduhivti, niehnwirph/ffi/t. 



Xciidhonirs, bill slender, sliLjhtly deeurved. Tail giadiiated. Species : waghri, pan'sontm, 

 spurius, :HCulfiifi(s. 



Ifjiphnntrs, bill stout, coniial ; the euhnoi .:•■: ijonys straight. Tail slightly rounded. Si)e- 

 cies : ha/fimorr, hi'lhuki, nbrilli i. 



Wo do not tind, however, that tliese .subgenera are very tangible, excepting HijphaiUes, which 



Icterus bulloeki. 



