MARSH BLACKBIRD. 351 



to induce these birds to bi'eed in confinement, but in as far as I have 

 been able to ascertain, have failed. As an article of food, they are little 

 better than the Starling of Europe, or the Crow Blackbird of the United 

 States, although many are eaten and thought good by the country people, 

 who make pot-pies of them. 



I have represented a male and a female in the adult state, a male in 

 the first spring, and a young bird, and have placed them on the branch 

 of a Water Maple, these birds being fond of alighting on trees of that 

 kind, in early spring, to pick up the insects that frequent the blossoms. 

 This tree is found dispersed throughout the United States, and grows, as 

 its name indicates, in the immediate vicinity of water. Its wood is soft, 

 and is hardly used for any other purpose than that of being converted 

 into common domestic utensils. 



IcTEBUS PH(ENicEus, Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 52. 

 Oriolus phceniceus, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 161 — Lath. Ind. Omith. vol. i. p. 178. 

 Red-winged Stabling, Sturnus pr^datorius, Wils. Amer. Omith. voL iv. p. 30. 



PI. 30. Male and Female. 

 Red-winged Oriole, Lath. Synops. vol. ii. p. 428. 



Male in complete plumage. Plate LXVII. Fig. 1. 



Bill conical, rather slender, longish, compressed, nearly straight, very 

 acute, with inflected acute margins ; upper mandible obtuse above, en- 

 croaching on the forehead, lower broadly obtuse beneath ; gap-line de- 

 flected at the base. Nostrils oval, basal. Head and neck of ordinary 

 size. Body full. Feet of ordinary length ; tarsus a little longer than 

 the middle toe ; inner toe little shorter than the outer ; claws arched, 

 acute, compressed, that of the hind toe twice the size of the rest. 



Plumage soft, blended, glossy. Wings of ordinary length, the second 

 and third quills longest. Tail rather long, rounded, of twelve rounded 

 feathers. 



Bill and feet black. Iris dark brown. The general colour of the 

 plumage is glossy black ; the lesser wing-coverts scarlet, their lower row 

 bright yellow. 



Length 9 inches, extent of wings 14 ; bill along the ridge j J, along 

 the gap 1. 



Male, the first spring. Plate LXVII. Fig. 2. 



