BIRDS OF KANSAS. 405 



four or five, .92x.60; pale bluish white, with a rosy hue when 

 fresh, marked with long, waving lines and spots of purple and 

 blackish brown, chiefly at larger end; in form, oval to ovate. 



Icterus bullocki (SWAIXS.). 



BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. 

 PLATE XXVI. 



Prof. "W. W. Cook, in his "Report on Bird Migration in the 

 Mississippi Yalley," says: "It is common in western Kansas, 

 passing eastward even to Manhattan, where in 1883 the first 

 was seen May 5." I have never met with the birds in the 

 State, and think their occurrence very rare. 



B. 146. R. 272. C. 327. G. 137, 197. U. 508. 



HABITAT. Western United States; east to Dakota and Texas; 

 south in winter to central Mexico. 



SP. CHAR. "Tail very slightly graduated. Upper part of the head and 

 neck, back, wings, two central tail feathers, line from base of bill through the 

 eye to the back of the nape, and a line from the base of the bill miming to a 

 point on the throat, black. Under parts generally, sides of head and neck, 

 forehead and line over the eye, rest of tail feathers, rump and upper tail coverts, 

 yellow orange. A broad band on the wings, involving the greater and mid- 

 dle coverts, and the outer edge of the quills, white. Young male with the black 

 replaced by greenish yellow, that on the throat persistent; female without this. 

 The first plumage of the young differs from that of Baltimore in being more 

 whitish beneath ; lighter olive above, and without dark spots on back ; white of 

 middle and greater coverts connected by white edges of the latter." 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill, 



Male 7.90 12.25 4.10 3.55 .90 .70 



Female... 7.50 11.50 3.80 8.10 .85 .70 



Iris dark brown; bill, upper black, with edges and under man- 

 dible light blue; legs, feet and claws plumbeous. 



This beautiful western species is a counterpart in form, habits 

 and actions, of its eastern cousin the Baltimore. I have met 

 with it in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Washington, South- 

 ern California, and at Culiacan, Mexico, but nowhere in abund- 

 ance. The following extract is from a description of the birds 

 by our eminent naturalist, Dr. Elliott Coues: 



"All the Orioles are wonderful architects, weaving pensile 

 nests of soft, pliable, fibrous substances, with a nicety and beauty 



