SENNETT ON BIEDS OF THE RIO GRANDE OF TEXAS. 25 



undoubtedly common. Most of our time was spent among the timber, 

 and the birds of the prairies were neglected. 



86— 9 —9.00 X 15.00 X 4.00 x 2.60. Mar. 26, Brownsville. 



Icterus spurius,* (L.) Bjy. — Orchard Oriole. 



Common everywhere in open woodland or mezquite chaparral. It 

 likes to build iu mezquite, wesatche, and willow-trees. They are exactly 

 like the Northern birds in plumage, and vary from them only in size, 

 and it takes close measuring to tell one from the other. The nests are 

 nearly always made of bleached grasses, wholly or partially pensile, and 

 without lining. Eggs bluish-white, sometimes pure white, with spots 

 and hieroglyphics on larger end of deep brown, almost black. Average 

 size of eggs is 0.84 by 0.57. 



81— $ —1.2b X 9.75 X 3.00 x 2.50. Mar. 26, Brownsville. 



316— $ —6.75 X 9.65 x 3.00 x 2.75. Apr. 30, Hidalgo. 



317— $ —6.75 X 9.75 x 3.00 x 2.75. Apr. 30, Hidalgo. 



318— 2 —6.50 X 9.50 x 3.00 x 2.50. Apr. 30, Hidalgo. 



319— 5 —6.65 X 9.50 x 3.00 x 2.75. Apr. 30, Hidalgo. 

 320— ,?— 6.50 X 9.40 x 3.00 x 2.50. Apr. 30, Hidalgo. 



Icterus bullocki, {8w.) Bp. — Bullocks Oriole. 



So far as my experience went, this species was the rarest of the Ori- 

 oles on the Eio Grande. Were I to compare the four kinds found there, 

 1 should say we saw twenty cucullatus, Hooded, to six sjpurius, Orch- 

 ard, to four auduboni, Audubon's, to one bullocM, Bullock's. Most of 

 my collecting and study of these birds was at Hidalgo j. but as a few 

 miles of distance along the river is apt to show a change in the avi- 

 fauna, it is possible that at other points this proportion would be decid- 

 edly changed. Up to the time we left Hidalgo (May 11th), I only found 

 one nest (May 7th), and that contained four fresh eggs of this species and 

 one of Molothrus ater ohscurus, Dwarf Oowbird. The nest was situated 

 about ten feet from the ground, between two small horizontal branches 

 in the thick foliage of the tree, and was composed of dried grasses and 

 Spanish moss in about equal proportion, with no lining. The eggs are 

 white, speckled with reddish-brown quite thickly on larger end, but 

 sparsely over the other parts. The measurements are 0.96 by 0.60, 0.91 

 by 0.61, 0.90 by 0.60, and 0.90 by 0.60. 



205— ^ —8. 50 X 12.50 x 4.00 x 2.75. Apr. 13, Brownsville. 

 344—^—8.00x12.50x3.40x3.25. May 3, Hidalgo. 

 346— a*— 8.60x13.50x4.00x3.40. May 3, Hidalgo. 



Icterus cucullatus, Sw. — Hooded Oriole. 



Very common in the vicinity, and among timber of any respectable 

 growth. I found it more plentiful than all the rest of the genus 

 combined. Like all the Orioles, its colors vary greatly with age and 

 season. But even in its best plumage, I think it looks better at a little 



* [The breeding bird of this locality being referable to Mr. Lawrence's Xaniliornus 

 affinis, the smaller Southern form. — E. C.l 



