ICTEIUD/K — Tilt; ORIOLES. 21'J 



to bumisliod poWon nlivacfoiis-liroiiy.c, iM'coiiiini,' ^rniilimlly niiifonn tiiotallic iiiir|ilisli or 

 r('(Mi.-ili Mold oil \viiij,'.-i 1111(1 tiiil, tlic lust more piiriili.-ili ; pi'iiiiiiiU's violi'l-lilacU ; liiL, inisi, 

 mill toes imn.- Mack ; iris siilplmr-ycllow, 



IIaii. ]ilississi|i|ii rt'^'ioti of I'liilcil States, east to Allejrliany Mountains, west to Korl 

 Briil^rer; Suskatelu'wan ltef.'ion, lliiilst)n's Hay Teriiloiy; Lalnadui-? ami Maine (.")'_', :IS'J, 

 Calais, Mo., (i. A. UonrUmaii). Moio or less abuinlant in uU ciusteni Stutos iioitli of New 

 Jersey. 



Tills siwcies may 1>o rciullly (ll.stiii^'iilsluKl from the Q. jmrjiitims hy \.\\{> 

 color iiloue, iii(li'iicii(loiitly ol' the tliiVt.'iviUH'.s of proportions. 



Tliu Muprussioii rectiivccl from ii ciisiiiil notice of ii specimen of the (,>.)iiir- 

 jiKirns is tliiit of a uniformly olossy l)liick bird, the iiictiillic tints licino- nmcli 

 broken or irr('j.nilarly disLriluitcd, beinj,' frctpieutly, or generally, arrano;ed in 

 sncccssive hands on the feathers over the whole body, jn'odncinj.' a ]ii'cidiar 

 iridescent efli'ct. In the (J. iniciis uothino; of this character is seen; lor, 

 among a very large series of western si)eciniens, not one litis tlu^ body other 

 than continuous bronze, the head and neck alone being green or blue, tind 

 this .sharply and abrujitly ileline<l tigainst the very dilferent tint of tin^ other 

 jMalions. These color.s, of course, have their extiemes of variation, but the 

 change is only in the shade of the metallic tints, the precise pattern being 

 strictly rctaimnl. In the present species the colors are more vivid and silky 

 than in the eastern, tmd the liird is, in fact, a iinich handsomer one. 

 (Itidgway.) 



Just idler mo'ilting, the plumage is unusually brilliant, the metallic tints 

 being much more >ivid. 



n.viiirs. 1'he Ihon/ed IMackbird has been so recently sejmrated from the 

 2>iirj)inriis that we cannot give, wilh exactness or certainty, the area over 

 which it is distributed. It is suijjiosed to occupy the country west of the 

 Alleghanies as far to the .southwest as the I>io (irande and Yovt Ihidger, ex- 

 tending to the Missouri ])lains on the northwest, to the Saskatchewan it; the 

 north, ami to Maine and Xova Seotia on the northeast. Subse(iuent ex]>lo- 

 rations may somewhat modify this supposed area of distribution. It is at 

 least known that this form occurs in Texas, in idl the States inimcdiutely 

 west of the Alleghiinies, and in the Xew England States, as well as the 

 vicinity of Xew York City. 



In regard to its habits, as differing from those of ■piirpvinn^, mc are with- 

 out any oliservations sulliciently distinctive to be of value. It reaches 

 Calais about the lirst of Aja-il, and is a conmion summer visitant. 



lu the fall of 18(j9, about the 10th of October, several weeks after the 

 Qinsca/i which had been spending the summer with us had disappctired, an 

 unusually large nundier of these bird.s, in the bronzed jJuinage, made their a])- 

 pearance in the place; they seemed to come all together, but kept in smaller 

 co)'ii>anies. One of these tlocks spent the day, MJiieh was lowering and 

 miplea.siiTit, Imt not rainy, in my orchard. They kept closely to the ground, 

 and seemed to be busily engaged in searching for insects. They had a single 



