lUTEUlDvE — THE ORIOLES. 213 



Synopsis of Species and Varieties. 



A. QUISCALUS. iScxcs iiciuly siiuiliii- in jilmiiiijfo. Color black; each 

 species glo-ssed with dirt'eroiit shades of lironze, purple, violet, preon, etc. Lateral 

 tail-feathers ahont .75 the leiij,'th of central. H'th. Eastern United States. Pro- 

 portion of winir to tail variahle. 



Q. purpureus. a. Body uniform brassy-olive without varying tints. Head 

 and neek steel-blue, more violaceons aniiirinrly, 



1. Length, 13.50; wing, 5.50 to 5.()5 ; tail, 5.70 to 5.80, its graduation, 

 1.50; culmen, 1.35 to 1.40. A'ivid l)luc of tiie neck all romid abruptly 

 defined against the brus.sy-olivo of the body. Female. Wing, 5.20 ; tail, 

 4.85 tn 5.10. Hah. Interior jjortions of North America, from Te.\as 

 and Louisiana to Saskatchewan and Hudson's Bay Territory; New 

 England States ; Fort IJridger, Wyoming Territory . . . var. aeueus. 



b. Body variegated with purple, green, and blue tintjs. Head and neck 

 violaceous-purple, nion; blue anterioily. 



2. Length, 12.50; wii-g, 5.(10 ; tail, 5.3t), its graduation, 1.20; culmen, 

 1.32. Dark purple of neek all round passing over the breast, and 

 appearing in patehes on the lower parts. Wing and tail pur|ilish ; tail- 

 coverts reddish-purple. Female. Wing, 5.10 ; tail, 4..50. Hah. Atlan- 

 tic coast of United States ...... \m: pttr p sirens. 



3. Length, 11.75; wing, 4.85 to 5.G0 ; tail, 4.00 to 5.50, its graduation, 

 .00; culmen, 1.38 to 1.0(3. Dark purple of neck sharply defined against 

 the dull blacki.sh olive-green of the body. AVings and tail greenish- 

 blue ; tail-coverts violet,-l)lue. Female. Wing, 4.05 to 4.90; tail, 3.80 



to 4.()0. Hah. South Florida; resident .... var. ag elaius. 



B. HOLOQUISCALUS. (Cassin.) Tail shorter than wings; sexes similar. 

 Color glossy black, but without varying shades of gloss; nearly uniform in cacli 

 species. Tail moderately graduated. Hah. West India Islands, almost exclu- 

 sively ; Mexico and South Ainerici. 



Q. baritus. Black, with a soft bluish-violet gloss, changing on wings and 

 tail into bluish-green. 



Culmen deridedh/ curved ; hane of mandibles on sides, smooth. 



1. Bill robust, comnii.ssure siiuiated ; depth of bill, at base, .54 ; cu^nicn, 

 1.33; wing, 0.15; tail, 5.50, its graduation, 1.30. Female. Wing. 5.20 ; 



tail, 4.70; other measurements in proportion. Jfnb. Januiica. var. bar it us.' 



2. Bill slender, commissure scarcely sinuated ; depth of bill, .43 ; 

 culmen, 1.35; wing, 5.40; tail, 5.10, its graduation, 1.20. Female. 



W^ing, 4.00 ; tail, 4.20. Hah. Porto Rico . . var. hracli ij pterus.^ 



Culmen almost straight ; base of mandibles on sides corrugated. 



3. Depth of bill, .51; culmen, 1.1 ; wing, 0.00; tail, 5.50, its gradua- 

 tion, 1.. 50. Female. Wing, .5.15; tail, 4.80. Hah. Cuba. vav. gun dlac h i .^ 



4. Depth of bill, .40; culmen, 1.35; wing, 5.00; tail, 4.50, its gradua- 

 tion, .85. Hab. Il.ayti var. niger.* 



'■ Quiscahis baritus (Linn.), Cass. Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila., 1866, p. 405. {Gracula buriUi, 

 Linn. .S. N. I, 165, 1766). Q. trassiroslrin, Swain.sox. 

 " Qtiiscahis braehijptfrus, Cass. Pr. A. N. S. ]86(), 406. 



* Qui.wihtSgumllachi, Cass. Pr. A. X. S. 1806, 406. 



* Quiscahis nigrr (Wnmw.wx), Ca.ss. Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 407. (Oriolus nigcr, Bonn. Tab. Pl. 

 Enl. p. 31, 1783.) 



None of tlic continental forma are in the collection, and therefore their rektionship to each 

 other and to the West Indian species cannot be here given. They arc : (1) Q. hignbris, Swains. 



