BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 131 
Icterus cucullatus nelsoni Rivew. 
ARIzONA HoopDED ORIOLE. 
Icterus cucullatus (not of Swarxson) Barrp, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 301, 
305 (Cape St. Lucas). Barrp, Brewer, and Ripeway, Hist. N. Amer. Birds, 
IL. 1874, 194, part (abundant at Cape St. Lucas, with breeding habits). Betp- 
inc, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. V. 1888, 541 (Cape Region); VI. 1888, 345 
(Cape Region). 
Tcterus nelsoni Satvin and Gopmay, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Aves, I. 1887, 472, 475 (La 
Paz; abundant and breeding at Cape St. Lucas). 
Icterus cucullatus nelsoni Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II, 1889, 295 (Cape 
Region) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 188 (San José del Cabo). 
The characters pointed out by Mr. Ridgway are well maintained in the large 
series collected by Mr. Frazar, all of the males of which can be readily distin- 
guished from Texas specimens by the absence of any pronounced orange tint in 
the yellow of the head, rump, and under parts. Most of my Lower California 
skins have the yellow of the under parts duller and that of the head with a 
more decided tinge of saffron, than in Arizona examples. In fact, the Lower 
California bird seems to represent the extreme type of divergence from true 
cucullatus. 
Individual variations. Spring plumage: — Adult male. The yellow varies 
considerably in tint, especially on the head where it is often strongly tinged 
with saffron. This color seems to be confined to the tips of the feathers, for, 
as the season advances and the plumage wears, the head becomes nearly pure 
yellow. One bird in my series has an elongated patch of yellow on the inner 
web of each outer tail feather beginning about half an inch from its tip, and 
extending backward nearly three fourths of an inch. There is an immature 
(or perhaps dichromatic) phase of plumage of the male (corresponding to that 
of the Orchard Oriole), in which the bird resembles the adult male only in 
having the full black “hood,” the coloring otherwise being almost precisely 
as in the female, although the yellow of the under parts is sometimes richer or 
less greenish than in the latter. My series contains three specimens illustrating 
this condition. 
Adult female. One of my specimens (No. 16,497, Triunfo, April 13, 1887) 
has an obscure blackish patch in the middle of the breast. Traces of this exist 
in one or two others, but as a rule the under parts are essentially plain. 
Autumnal plumage : — Adult male (No. 16,518, San José del Cabo, October 
20, 1887). Yellow much deeper and browner than in spring birds — on the 
crown, sides of head and nape, rump and upper tail coverts, heavily overlaid 
with olive, on the breast and sides of the body with raw sienna; black of the 
head and breast pure; that of the back and scapulars nearly obscured by 
grayish olive which forms a broad tipping on all of the feathers ; white edging 
of wing coverts, secondaries, etc., broader than in the spring bird and tinged 
