280 BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 



toe, which, with those of the other anterior toes, is moderately curved, 

 much compressed, and tapering to a sharp point. 



The colours have been already accurately described. 



Length to end of tail 7f inches ; extent of wings 12 ; bill along the 

 ridge ^^|, along the edge of lower mandible -J § ; vsdng from flexure 3i ^ ; 

 tail 3 ; tarsus i| ; hind toe i^, its claw 1*2 ; second toe ||, its claw || ; 

 third toe y''^, its claw ^^ ; outer toe ^1, its claw ^\. 



Adult Female. Plate CCCCXXXIII. Fig. 3. 



The Female is considerably smaller than the male, to which it is 

 much inferior in beauty, although the colouring is similar. The bill is 

 light blue, with the ridge of the upper mandible black ; the iris brown ; 

 the feet greyish-blue, the claws of the same colour, tinged with brown. 

 The upper part of the head, hind neck, sides of the neck at the middle, 

 and anterior half of the back brownish-black, the feathers edged with 

 dull yellowish-green ; the hind part of the back light brownish-yellow, 

 purer on the rump ; the tail light yellowish-brown, the middle feathers 

 darker. The wing-coverts are blackish-brown, the quills dark brown, 

 all margined with whitish, the first row of small coverts and the se- 

 condary coverts largely tipped with white, so as to present two conspi- 

 cuous bands of that colour. The loral space, a band over the eye, and 

 another beneath it, extending to the ear-coverts, dull yellow ; below the 

 latter the cheeks spotted with dusky ; the lower parts are dull orange, 

 paler behind, with some small dusky streaks on the throat and a tinge 

 of grey on the sides ; the lower wing-coverts yellow. 



Length to end of tail 7 inches ; bill along the ridge ^| ; wing from 

 flexure 3 A ; tail 2j| ; tarsus {^ ; hind toe ^^, its claw ^^ ; middle toe 

 II, its claw ^. 



A male preserved in spirits presents the following characters. The 

 palate ascends anteriorly, and has two prominent soft ridges, at the 

 anterior extremity of which is a slight protuberance, analogous to that 

 of the Buntings, but only rudimentary or less developed ; beyond it is 

 a median broad ridge gradually tapering to the point. The posterior aper- 

 ture of the nares is linear, margined with pointed papillae. The tongue 

 is 6 twelfths long, emarginate and papillate at the base, slightly grooved 

 above, horny in the greater part of its length, and tapering to a deeply 

 slit point. The oesophagus, a he, is 2 inches 5 twelfths long ; at the upper 



