ICTEUID.K — Till'; oKlOLEa 2M) 



to biirnishod poldcn oHvaroous-broti/.i', hoooniinjr «rra«luiilly uiiifonu Tiu»ta111(^ prirnlish or 

 H'tMisli vioh't 4>n wiiii,'-* iUi'l tail, the last lunrc jturplisli ; priinarics viiilct-ltla«'k ; lull, tar>i. 

 ami tiK'.s I'un* Mark ; iris sMlplitn-vrllow. 



IIaii. 3kli-sissipj>i rrj^'ion of L'liitrtl States, vaat to Allfphany Moimtains, wrst to F<»it 

 nriflpr: Sa.^ki.N ifwaii Iti-irioii. Iludoirs Hay Trrrilitry : lijilirador? and Maine (.VJ..'IM*J, 

 Calais, Mo., is. A. ligurdiiiuuj. Moru ur less ubuuduut in all cuslciu Stutccs nui lli of Xu\v 

 Jersey. • 



This sjH'cios nmy be it'iidily distiiimiislu'd from the Q. purjunr us hy iUa 

 C(dnr Jilune, iii<lei>finlt*ntly of the ilitfi.'ivnces of proportions. 



Tlic Muitrussion received from ;i ca^^ujil notice of u specimen oi' tlie Q.jmr- 

 piurifs is tlmt of a uniformly flossy Mack bird the metallic tints bcin;^' niucli 

 broken or irrcL'ularly ilislriltiited, beini,' frequently, or generally, arrangeil in 

 suci'essive bands on the feathers over the whole body, j^roducing a ]>ci'uliar 

 iritlescent effect. In the (J. onciis nothing of this cliaracter is seen; lor, 

 among a very large series of western specimens, not one has tbe body other 

 tlian ('(tntinuous bronze, the head and neck alone being gi-een or blue, and 

 this sharply and aliru}»tly defined against the very «lifferent tint of tin' other 

 portions. These colors, of course, have their extremes of variation, but llie 

 cliangi' is only in the shade of the metallic tints, the precise pattern being 

 strictly retained. In the ]>re.sent species the colors are more vivid and silky 

 tliMii in tiie eastern, and the bird is, in fact, a much handsomer one. 

 (Kidgway.) 



Just alter nmulting, the plumage is unusually brilliant, the metallic tints 

 being much more vivid. 



Haijits. The Uron/ed l»lackl)ir(l bas been so recently se]>arated from the 

 ]nn'/)tttrt/s that we cannot give, with exactness or certainty, tbe area over 

 whi( h it is di.stributed. It is sui)}»osed to occupy the country west of the 

 Alle'^hanies as far to the southwest as the iJio (Jrande and Fort Uridifer, ex- 

 tending to the Missouri ])lains on the northwest, to the Saskatchewan in tla^ 

 north, and to Maine and Xova Scotia on the northeast. Subseipient exjdo- 

 rations may somewhat modify this suppo.sed area of distribution. It is at 

 least known that this form oceurs in Tex^s, in all the States imniediatelv 

 west of the Alleglianies, and in the Xew England States, as well as the 

 viciniiv of Xew York Citv. 



In regard to its habits, as dillering from tho.se of j^iirpmrns, we are with- 

 out any (»bservations sulliciently distinctive to be of value. It reaches 

 Calais about the tir.st of A])ril, and is a common summer visitant. 



In the fall of 1800, about the loth of October, several weeks after the 

 (Jnisca/i which had been si>ending the summer with us had disai>])eared, an 

 unusually large nund)er of these birds, in the bronzed plumage, made their aj)- 

 pearance in the place ; they seemed to come all together, but kept in .smaller 

 comi)anies. One of these flocks spent the day, which was l(»wering ami 

 uni:>leasant, but not rainy, in my ondiard. They kept clo.sely to the ground, 

 and seemed to be busily engaged in searching for insects. They had a single 



