142 ICTERUS BALTIMORE. 



GENUS VI. ICTERUS. TIIK OIUOLES. 



GEN. Cn. Dill, much pointed, not very brand at tip, shorter than the. head. Upper antl linerr mnn/li'tlix n l/tllf mrrrd. 

 Winijs, somewhat, lonyer than the tail which is slightly rounded. Fret, not larije. Sternum, nut nearly as narrow as that of 

 the preceding yenus. Keel, rather low. Coracoids, equal in length to the top of the keel. Marginal indentations equal in 

 depth to the hciyht of the keel. Stomach, not muscular. Size, medium. 



Members of th is genus are conspicuously marked either above or below with bright colors or with black. They are 

 all arboreal in habits. 



ICTERUS BALTIMORE. 



Baltimore Oriole. 

 "Icterus Baltimore DAUDIN," Aun., Orn. Biog., I; 1831, (ifi. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Cn. Form, rather slender. Size, medium. Feet, not large. Tongue, thin and horny, with a slight central de- 

 pression, bifid at tip, provided with a fringe of cilia extending along the sides forone third the terminal length. Sternum, 

 rather stout. 



COLOR. Adult male in summer. Head, all around neck coming down into a triangle on the breast, back, wings, and 

 band across tail reaching to the tips of central pair, black, also bar on tips of greater wing coverts and outer edges of out- 

 er webs of all the wing feathers, white. Remaining portions, orange-yellow, brightest on the breast. Upper mandible, 

 black, blue on lower edges. Lower mandible and foot, blue. ' 



Adult female in summer. Beneath, uniform yellow, tinged with orange on the breast. Upper portions, including the 

 tail, yellowish-brown, brightest on the head and rump. No black band on the tail. Wings, brown, with white markings 

 as in the males. Bill, bluish throughout. Feet, blue. 



Adult male in autumn. Much brighter beneath than in spring, the breast frequently becoming orange-carmine. The 

 back has a faint overwashing of orange and the rump is tinged with dusky. There is much more white on the wings which 

 is yellowish. 



Adult female in autumn. Much deeper in color below, and the back is more uniformly overwashed with yellowish- 

 brown. The wings have much more white. 



Youny male. Has much more white on the wings, and the rump is overwashed with yellowish-brown. There is only 

 a slight indication of the black bar on the tail, the central feathers becoming perfect first. The color below is not nearly as 

 bright. 



Youny female. Is much lighter in color below, showing none of the orange tinging on the breast. The back is not as 

 clear black. 



Youny of the year in spring. The males are mottled on the back with yellowish-brown and black. The black of tl.e 

 lower neck only extends in spots on the breast, and the color below is pale showing only a tinge of orange. The female is 

 very pale. 



Youny of the year in autumn. The males show no black whatever and both sexes are tinged with orange below. The 

 back is pale, otherwise the plumage is similar to the female in autumn. Bill, brown, considerably lighter at base of lower 

 mandible. 



Nestlings. Very pale-yellow beneath and paler brown above. Wings and tail as in the last plumage. Bill, brown 

 throughout. Feet, blue. The wings and tail feathers are not moulted. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



I have described the average brightest plumage of the adult, but I once procured a specimen that had a carmine streak 

 down the breast. A local race of perfectly adult specimens which I procured on the islands in the Susquehanna River at 

 Willimnsport, Pennsylvania, differ in being of a nearly uniform pale-yellow beneath and in having considerable white on 

 the wings. Readily known by the colors as described. Distributed in summer from the Carolinas north to Canada on the 

 eastern side of the Central Plains. Wintering south of the United States. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of twenty-five specimens. Length, 7'62; stretch, 1T65; wing, 3'71; tail,2'82; bill, '72; tar- 

 sus, -85. Longest specimen, 8'00; greatest extent of wing, 12-25; longest wing, 4-00; tail, 3'10; bill, '75; tarsus, -90. 

 Shortest specimen, 7 - 25; smallest extent of wing, 11- 15; shortest wing, 3'42; tail, 2'65; bill, -70; tarsus, -80. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, placed in trees, pendulous in form, composed of strips of fibrous bark, horse-hair, strings, rags, etc., neatly an 1 

 firmly woven together. Dimensions; external diameter, 4'UO, internal, 2 - 00. External depth, G'OO, internal, 5'<K). 



Eyys, four to six in number, oval in form, pale-blue in color, spotted, dotted, and lined with umber. Some of the 

 markings arc incorporated in the material of the shell. Dimensions from '90x'G(> to l'20x '72. 



