1CTE1UD.E - THE UUIOLES. 147 



Pamily ICTERIDiE. — The Okioles. 



Char. Pi-imarios nine. Taisi sait.-Uato i.nt.Mi..rly ; plated beliinil. Bill long, poncrally 

 equal to the head ui- longer, stiaight oi- p'litly curved, couieal. without any notch, the 

 conuuissiire bondinir downwards at an ol)mse anjrle at the base. Gonys generally more 

 than half the cuhntMi, no bristl.,.,s about tiie base of bill. Basal joint of the middle toe 

 iree on the inner side; united hall-way on the ouler. Tail rather louir, rounded. Legs 

 stout. 



This family is strictly confined to the Xew Worl.l, and is cldsoly related 

 in many of its memlters to the Frini/ll/ida: J5oth have the angnlated nm- 

 missure and the nine primaries ; the bill is, however, usually much longer; 

 the rictus is completely without bristles, and the tip of the bill without 



notcli. 



The affinities of some of the genera are still closer to the family of 

 Sturuidw or Starlings, of which the Sturnns vidfjaris may be taken as tlie 

 type. The latter family, is, however, exclusively Old World, except for the 

 occurrence of a species in Greenland, and readily distinguislied by the con- 

 stant presence of a rudimentary outer primary, making ten in all. 



There are three subfamilies of the Ictcrirla', — the Ar/clnina; the Icterincc, 

 and the Qakculhm} which may be diagnosed as follows, although it is 

 difficult to define them with precision : — 



Agelaince. Bill shorter than, or about equal to, the head ; thick, conical, both mandibles 

 about equal in depth ; the outhnos all more or less straight, the liill not decnrved at lip. 

 Tail rather short, nearly even or slightly rounded. Legs longer than the head, adapted 

 for walking ; claws moderately curved. 



Icterinse. Bill rather •slender, a*)(>,it as long as the bead ; 'either ;;traight or dectirved. 

 Lower mandible less thick than the upper ; the commissure not sinuated. Tarsi not 

 longer than the head, nor than nuddle toe; legs adapted Ibr perching. Claws much 



curved. 



QuiBoalihse. Tail lengthened, considerably or excessively graduated. Bill as long as, 

 or longer than, the head ; the culmcn curved towards the end, the tip bent down, the 

 cutting edges inflexed, the commissure sinuated. Legs longer than the head, fitted for 

 walking. 



1 It is nn interesting faet in regard to the spiM'ics of Icterida:, that, as a general rule, female 

 birds of West Indian representatives of the A'ichihnr. and Quisniliua- are usually, or perluqis 

 universally, uniformly blaek, where the eontinental are brown, either eoiieoloivd or streaked. We 

 know of no exception to the lust part of this statement as to J;p'/„i„x, iXcsoimi; Srolccophigns, 

 and Qumalus. The smaller North American species of ^»/.«v(/»,s' have the f.uiales duller, but 

 not otluTwise very dilferent from the males, except in size. The females of the large Q„im,!us, 

 all continental, are much smaller than the males, an,l totally dilferent. In Ickni^ all the species 

 in which the female is verv ditferent in color from the male are Xoithern Mexican or coutniental 

 North American {piisfuhifus, .sy.ifnV.v, h,il/in,n,r, h,iU„,-ki, a,n,lh,lm, ete.V Most West Indian 

 Icterus also exhibit no ditlerenee in the sexes, domiuio-imx, hmmmcla^, xcinthomns, homnec, etc. ; 

 in one alone {lencoiUcn/x) is the dilVerenee api.reciable. The South American species have the 

 femaU-s pretty generally similar to the males, but smaller, a.s is the ca.se in the entire tamily. 



