154 NMliTIl AMKIMCAN IMIiDS.. 



Molothrus pecoris, s^wainsox. 



cow BLACKBIRD; COWBIBD. 



Fi-iii'tiUu }icc(>rh, Omi'.i.in, Syst. Xat. I, ir.><S, ItHnii'iinili). — Lath. Iml. Oni. I, ITOn, 

 li:i. — I.icnr. Vi'izricli. l,s-.':t, Nos. -AM, i\\\. JCmkri-.n /„r.,ri.i, Wii.s. Am. Om. II, 

 ISIo, 1 !.■>, i>l. xviii, r. 1, -J, ;i. /r/rnis />a:on\ ]\a\\v. Olis. Wil.soii, IS-.M, No. f<S. — 

 All). t»lii. HioK- !, ].*>.!1, 41I.S ; V, 1>S;!<), L':!:!, t'.M), pis. .\cix iiiid (rccxxiv. /rlirim 

 {/■Jiiiliri-hiiiilis) jiicari.i, ItcpN. Syn. 1,S'J8, 5u. — In. Spcciliii) coniii. No. 41. -Nrrr. 

 Miiii. 1, l.Mi-i, irs, c.M cil.,) l!i(l. /'.min»' /irn,ri.s, ViKil.l,. N'lmv. I»i.t. X.W, ISIll, 

 ■Jl'. I'.-nirufn/iiis /icrun'.i, \VA(il.i:i;, Syst. Av. 1S'J7, No. 'JO. Mtilnllini.i im-oris, Sw.mn- 

 s.pn, ]•'. liiir.-Aiii. II, l.s:n. -'77. - Kirn. List, US37. — Box. I,i.st, US3S. — In. I'oiisi). 

 1^.'.|^ 4:iii. Am. Syn. KS;J!t, l:!!t. - In. Minis Am. IV, 1S4-J, Hi, jii. cxii. — Caiiaxis, 

 Mns. Ilcin. 1«.M, I!);!. - I!aiui>, Minis N. Am. It^iKS, .V.'4. — roiU'Kli, <1iii. (."al. I, 1870, 

 257. — Samii-.I.s, ;i;ii». — Al.l.r.X, M. Kla. 2.>l. fDnHliii ni.snin, (i.MKI.IX, Syst. Nal. 

 I, 178.**, :i!i:i. ^ S/iinni.i »/«c/ovw. (!mi:i,ix, Syst. Nat. I, 178.8, 804 (cviilcnlly a .lA./o- 

 tliriis, and jirolialily, l>ut not fcrtainly, the ]iu'S(Mit s|ii'i'ics). Molatknis oltsfiintu, ('as- 

 .SIX, I'r. I'll. Ac. ISIiii, 18 (Miia Floivs, L. Cal.). -(ddl'Klt, Orii. Cal. I, 1870, ?i'0. 

 " Iclcriri iiiihin'-.iiii/is, Daiiux." / >^h(rini.ijuiic<h\ La ill. liuL 1, l7i>0, 3'2G (siiiiic as 

 S'/ Kill IIS (time II run, (i.M.t. > FriiKjilhi iiniliiiiiiK, XriTAi.i., XLiii. I, 1832, 484 (yimiig). 

 ,Shir,iii.i iiiive-/ii.i/tiiiiiir, Miass. 11, 448. 



Si'. CiiAit. Sci-iiinl (inill loiijiost : lirst spaiccly shorlcr. Tail nearly <'\"eii. or very 

 sliirlilly I'oiindrd, Mal<' willi tlic licad. ticrk. ami aiilcrior iiall' of iIr" lifcast lifjht 

 (diO('iilal('-lii'i)Wii. ralliiT liglitiT almvc; iv.st ol' liody lustmus lilack. with a vii.lcl-piirpjo 

 jrlo.ss noxi to li»' luiiwii. (if st<'cl liliic (111 tlic hack, and ol' L'l't'i'ii ilscwiici-i'. Fciiiak' lii;iit 

 (ilivaci'Diis-liriiwu all dvit. lii^htcr (in the licad and lu'iicalli. liill and loi^t, bhiok. Luiii^tli, 

 8 iiiclics; winj;-. l.d'J; tail. :',A0. 



IIaii. Iniicd States linni the .Vtl.iiilic t(i (jaliliiriiia : not loiiiid imin('diat(_'ly on tho 

 (•oa<t of tlic I'acilic? Oi'i/alia (.Sci.. lS."i7. lil."!) : Texas (Dukssku, Has, ISd."), 4irj) ; Fort 

 \Vlii|i|ilc. Arizona (('oiks. 1'. A. N. S, 18(ili, i)(l); Nevada and I'tali (.Iiiugway) ; Mu/utlaii, 

 Tchiiantc|ie(.', ('a[ie Si. Lucas. 



Tlic youiiu' liiiil "I till' yciir is livnwii mIkivc, limw iiisli-whito hciifiitli ; tlie 

 throiit imiiiuciiliitt'. A iiiii.xilliirv striiic iiiul oIlscur! .sticnk.s tliickly crowded 

 aci'iiss the wliole iirciist niid sides. There is ii i'aiut iiidicatidii of a jialcr 

 sii|icr('iliaiv stripe. 'i"he i'eathei'.s ol' the upper jiarts are all niaroined with 

 ]ialcr. There arc alsn indications of lij;lit hands on the wiiios. Those mark- 

 ings are all ohsciire, init perlcctly api)rccialile, ami their existence in adult 

 1 Ills of any species may he considered as endiryoiiie, and sliowino; an 

 inl'eriority in dcoi'cc to the species with the under ])arts jierfeclly jilain. 



S]ieciiiu'iis from tlii^ west a])|iear to have a rather loiio;er and narrower bill 

 tliiiii those I'roui tlic oast. Summer birds of Cape St. Lucas tiiid the l!io 

 (iiaiide are considerably smidler (var. nlMiiriin, Cassin). Lcn^'th about (i.od ; 

 wino, 4.(111 ; tail, li.Od. Some winter skins from the same region are e([ual 

 in size to tlic .(Veraoe. 



liirds of this s]ie('ies lirecdin,!,' .south of the b'io (irande, as ^vell as those 

 from Cape St. Lucas, j\Li/a(laii, etc., are very niucli smaller than those ncst- 

 ini,' within the I'liited States; but the transition between tho extremes 

 of size is so onidual that it is almost impossilile to strike an average 



