of the hamilton association. 215 



Genus XANTHOCEPHALUS Bonaparte. 



XANTHOCEPHALUS XANTHOCEPHALUS (Bonap.). 



192. Yellow-headed Blackbird. 497. 



Male black, whole head (except lores), neck and upper breast yellow, 

 and sometimes yellowish feathers on the belly and legs ; a large white patch 

 on the wing, formed by the primary and a few of the outer secondary coverts. 

 Female and yoting brownish-black, with little or no white on the wing, the 

 yellow restricted or obscured. Female much smaller than the male, about 9J. 

 Length, lo-ii ; wing, 5J ; tail 4^. 



Hab. Western North America, from Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas to 

 the Pacific coast. Accidental in the Atlantic States (Massachusetts, South 

 Carolina, Florida). 



Nest, composed of aquatic grasses fastened to the reeds. 



Eggs, 3 to 6 ; grayish-green spotted with reddish-brown. 



A wanderer from the west, this handsome Blackbird has 

 appeared from time to time at different points in the Eastern 

 States. The only_record I have of its occurrence in Ontario is 

 that given by Mr. Seton in the Auk for October, 1885, as 

 follows : " This species has been taken a number of times in 

 company with the Red-winged Blackbirds by Mr. Wm. Loane, 

 who describes it as the Californian Blackbird. The specimen 

 I examined was taken near Toronto by that gentleman, and it is 

 now in the possession of Mr. Jacobs, of Centre street." 



Though the Yellow-headed Blackbird is only a casual visitor, 

 I think it is quite probable that we may yet see it as a summer 

 resident in the grassy meadows of Ontario. At present it 

 comes east as far as Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin, 

 while in a northerly direction it extends its migrations to the 

 interior of the Fur Countries, reaching the Saskatchewan about 

 the 20th of May. 



We should like to see him here, his yellow head making a 

 bright spot among the sombre plumaged Cowbirds and 

 Grackles. 



