148 



NlJimi AMERICAN BIRDS.. 



Subfamily AGELAIN.S!. 



Cii.Mi. l?ill Stout, coiiioni, and nciitoly jjoiiili'il, not longer tlmn tlio head; tlic outlines 

 ncaily stiainlit, tlio tip not (k'curvcd. I.cgs adapted for walking, longer than the head. 

 Claws not much curved. Tail moderate, shorter than the wings; nearly even. 



Tlio Af/e/ainw, tlirough Molothrus and Bolichimyx, present a close relation 

 to the Friiifjillida' in tlie comparative shortness and conical shape of the 

 bill, and, in fact, it is very difficnlt to express in Inief words tlie distinc- 

 tions wliich evidently exist. DoUehonip) may be set aside as readily deter- 

 minable by tlie cliaracter of the feet and tail. The peculiar sul)family 

 characteristics of Molothrus will be found under the generic remarks respect- 

 ing it. 



The following diagnosis will serve to define the genera : — 



A. Hill shorter than the head. Feathers of head and nostrils as in B. 

 Bolichonyz. Tail-feathers with rigid stiflened acuminate points. 

 Middle toe very long, exeeeding the head. 



Molothrus. T-.l with the feathers simple; middle too shorter than 

 the tarsus or head. 



B. Hill as long as the he.ad. Feathers of crown soft. Nostrils covered by 

 a scale which is directed more or less downwards. 



Agelaius. First quill shorter than the second and third. Outer lateral 

 (laws scarcely reaching to the base of middle ; claws moderate. 

 Xanthocephalus. First ipiill longest. Outer lateral claw reaching 

 nearly to the tip of the middle. Toes and claws all much elongated. 



C. Bill as long as, or longer than, the head. Feathers of crown with the 

 shafts prolonged into stilfened bristles. Nostrils covered by a scale which 

 stands out more or less horizontally. 



Sturnella. Tail-feathers acute. Middle to<! cqu.il to the tarsus. 

 Trupialia. Tail-leathers rounded. Middle toe shorter than the tarsus. 



Gexcs DOLICHONYX, Swainson. 



DoUch<my.v, .Swainso.v, Zoiil. Jourii. Ill, 1827, 351. (Type, Emberim oryzivora, L.) 



Gen. Cuau. Bill short, stout, conical, little more than half the head; the eommis.sure 



slightly sinuated ; the culmen 

 nearly straight. Middle toe 

 considerably longer than the 

 tarsus (which is aliout as long 

 as the head) ; the inner lateral 

 toe longest, but not reaching 

 the base of the middle claw. 

 Wings long, first quill long- 

 est. Tail-feathers acuminately 

 pointed at the tip, with the 

 shall stiffened and rigid, as in 

 the Woodpeckers. 



The peculiar characteristic of this genus is found in the rigid scansorial 



