TCTKRID/K — THE ORIOLES. 187 



IticMHl. Tlieir common iiiime is CiihniJrin, a name also t^ivcn, witliout dis- 

 ciiniination, to Inur or five other species of Ltiri eiMnnmn in Vera Cni/. 

 Mr. I'casc, in IS47, oUserxt'd eitlier tiiis species or tiie nnlininn iiJnili's at 

 .lalapa, and in the nei.uhlMuhood of the city of Mexico, in considcralih' nuni- 

 Ijers. This hird wjus first descrihed and hrontjlit to notice as hehjn^inijj to 

 onr fanna, l»y Mr. (lirand, in 1S41. Since then, Mr. Jolin H. Clark, zoiilo- 

 "ist on the Me.xican JJoundarv Survey, ohtained st»veral sitccimens fr<»m the 

 Lower Kio (Iranch?. It was first seen hy him near IJim^nold Jiarracks. It 

 was iu)t al)iindant, and its (juiet manners an<l secluded hahits 'prevented it 

 from heinn very consjticuous. It was most frecpiently observed l>y him 

 feeding on the fruit of the hackberry, hut whenever approached, while thus 

 feeding, it always showed sii^ms of uneasiness, and soon after sought refuge 

 in some j>lace of greater concealment. 



I'^snally ]>airs were to he seen keeping close together, a])]iarently ])refer- 

 ring the thick foliage found on the maigin of ])onds, or in the old hed of the 

 river. They did not communicate with each other hy any note, and Mr. 

 Clark was struck with their remarkable silence. Their habits seemed to 

 him very ditterent frcjm those of any (jther Oriole with which he was ac- 

 (juainted. 



P'rom the papers of Lieutenant Couch, quoted by Mr. Cassin, we learn 

 tliat these birds were seen by him, ^larch o, at Santa Ilosalio, eight leagues 

 from ^latamoras. Tliey were in i)airs, and both sexes were very shy and 

 secbnled, .seeking insects on the }»rickly pear, or among the low mimosa- 

 trees, seeming to be neyer at rest, but ever on the lookout for their favorite 

 food. 



"While at Charco Escondido, farther in tlie interior of Tamaidiiias, Lieu- 

 tenant Couch met with a i)air of the.se birds, and having brought down the 

 male bird with his gun, the female flew to a neighboring tree, a])pareiitly 

 unaware of her lo.ss. She soon, however, observed his hdl, and endeavored 

 to recall him to her side Mith notes uttered in a strain of such exquisite 

 sadness tliat he could scarcely Ixdieve them uttered by a liiid : and so 

 greatly did they excite his symi)athv, that he almost resolv(Ml to desist from 

 further ornithological collections. He adds that he never heanl the lay of 

 any songster of the feathered tribe expressed more sweetly than that of the 

 present species. At Monterey he found it a favorite cage-ltird. The female 

 also sings, but her notes are less powerful than those of the male. (Generally 

 the ilight of this bird was low and rapid, and it seemed to prefer the shade 

 of trees. It was observed almost invariably in pairs, and the male and 

 female showed for each other great tenderness and solicitude. 



The eggs of this s])ecies measure .9(1 of an inch in length by .70 in 

 breadth. Their ground-color is a light drab or a dull ]>urplish-white, scat- 

 tered oyer whitdi are faint markings of a subdued purple, blending imper- 

 cei)tiblv with the uromid, and above these markings are dot. and irre«ndar 

 zigzag lines of dark brown, and darker purple, almost n;nning into black. 



