ICTKUID.E — THE ORIOLES. 213 



Synopsis of Species and Varieties. 

 A* QUISCALUS. Scxi's nfjuly siinilai- in phinia^'e. Culor black ; each 

 species glossed witii ditlereiit sliadcs of bronze, purple, violet, green, etc. Lateral 

 tail-feathers about ."') tin; length of ceutraL Hah. Eastern United States. Pro- 

 portion r>f wing to tail variable. 



Q. purpureus. a. 13<»dy uniform l)rassy-oIive without varying tints. Head 

 and neck steel-blue, more violaeeous anterioily. 



1. Length, 13.r>0 ; wing-, o.r>0 to o.fJo ; tail, fi.TO to 0.8O, its graduation, 

 1.50 ; eulmen, 1.35 to 1.40. Vivid blue of the neck all round abruptly 

 detincd against the brassy -olive of tlu? body. Feuiale. Wing, o.liO ; tail, 

 4.80 to .'(.10. Hub. Interior portions of North America, from Texas 

 and Louisiana to Saskatchewan and Hudson's Bay Territory; New 

 England States ; Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory . . . var. aeneus. 



b. Body variegated with purple, green, and blue tints. Head and neck 

 violaceous-purple, more lilue anteriorly. 



2. Length, 12..j0: wing, o.iJO ; tail, 5.30, its graduation, 1.20; eulmen, 

 1.32. Dark juirple of neck all round passing over the breast, and 

 appearing in patches on the lower parts. Wing and tail purplish ; tail- 

 coverts reddish-j)urple. Female. Wing, 5.10 ; tail, 4.50. Hab. Atlan- 

 tic coast of United States ...... \SLT.pnrpureus. 



3. Length, 11.75; wing, 4.85 to 5.G0 ; tail, 4.G0 to 5.50, its graduation, 

 .00; eulmen, 1.38 to 1.(30. Dark purple of neck sharply detined against 

 the dull blackish olive-green of the body. Wings and tail greenish- 

 blue ; tail-coverts violet-blue. Female. Wing, 4.G5 to 4.90; tail, 3.80 



to 4. GO. Hub. South Florida ; resident .... var. agelaius. 

 B* HOLOQUISCALUS. (Cassin.) Tail shorter than wings; sexes similar. 

 Coior iTiOssy black, but without varying shades of gloss: nearly uniform in each 

 species. Tail moderately graduated. Hab. West India Islands, almost exclu- 

 sive!'; Mexico and South America. 



Q. baritus. Black, with a soft bluish-violet gloss, changing on wings and 

 tail into bluish-green. 



C'llmen (leriderlly curved ; base of mandibles on sides, smooth. 



1. Bill robust, commissure sinuated ; depth of bill, at base, .54 ; eulmen, 

 1.33 ; wing, G.15 ; tail, 5.50, its graduation, 1.30. Female. Wing, 5.20 ; 



tail, 4.70 ; other measurements in proportion. Hab. Jamaica, var. bar it us} 



2. Bill slender, commissure scarcely sinuated ; depth of bill, .43 ; 

 eulmen, 1.35; wing, 5.40; tail, 5.10, its graduation, 1.20. Female. 



Wing, 4.60 ; tail, 4.20. Hab. Porto Rico . . var. bracltypterus.^ 



Culmen almost straifjht ; base of mandibles on sides corrugated. 



3. Depth of bill, .51; eulmen, 1.44; wing, G.OO; tail, 5.50, its gradua- 

 tion, 1.50. Female. Wing. 5.15; tail, 4.80. Hab. Cuba. x&r. gun dlach i .^ 



4. Depth of bill, .40 ; eulmen, 1.35 ; wing, 5.00 ; tail, 4.50, its gradua- 

 tion, .80. Hab. Hayti . var. niger.* 



1 Quvicalns baritus (LiXN.), Ca.ss. Proo. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila., 1866, p. 405. (Gracula barita, 

 Lixx. S. N. 1, 165, 1766). Q. crass irostris, Swaixsox. 



" Quiscalus brachiipteriis, Cass. Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 406. 



8 QuifiCdlus gundlachi, Cass. Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 406. 



* Quiscahis nigcr (Roddaert), Cass. Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 407. {OHolus nigcr, Bodd. Tab. PI. 

 Enl. p. .31, 1783.) 



None of the continontal forms are in the coTIoction, and therefore their relationship to each 

 other and to the West Indian species cannot be here given. They are : (1) ^. lugubriSj SwAixs. 



