410 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSEBES— 0SCINE8. 



basal half of the lateral feathers, but only the extreme base of the central pair. Length 8.00; 

 extent 12.00; wing 4.00; tail .3.40-3.()0, moderately I'ounded, the lateral feathers graduated 

 about 0.50; bill 0.90, attenuate and slightly decurved; tarsus 1.00. Young ^ : The black 

 parts all overcast with grayish-olive skirting of the feathers, giving the prevailing tone on the 

 upper parts, but on the breast the black showing more clearly. Tlie yellcjw likewise obscured 

 with grayish-olive, especially on the rump. Tail greenish-yellow, the middle feathers black- 

 ening. Wings dusky, all the quills and the greater and middle coverts broadly edged and 

 tipped with white. 9 ? resembling the last described ; less viliite on the wings ; central taU- 

 feathers simply fuscous like the ends of the others. Southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona 

 and Southern California, near the Mexican border. Not yet well knowm or found breeding in 

 the U. S. Nesting essentially the same as that of other orioles, often in bunches of moss 

 or vines hanging in cactuses, quite near the ground; eggs 0.90X0.6.5, whitish, variously 

 blotched and dotted with purplish and blacldsh-browns. 

 330. I. melanoce'phalus aiid'uboni. (Grr. fieXas, melcis, gen. fieXams, melanos, black ; Ke(j)a\r], 

 kephale, hedH. To J. J. Audubon.) Black-headed Oriole. Audubon's Oriole. Adult <J: 

 Black and clear yellow. Entire body rich gamboge-yellow, without orange or flame tint, but 

 shaded with greenish on back, sides, and upper tail-coverts ; under tail-coverts pure yellow, 

 like the belly. Middle and lesser wing-coverts and lining of wings pure yellow, the former 

 with black bases concealed by the yellow tips. Head all around, fore neck and breast, glossy 

 jet-black, without any concealed yellow, except at edges of the black on the breast — the black 

 there thus ending ragged, different from the clean-cut border of ciicullatus. Wings black, the 

 outer webs of the quills white-edged, especially on inner secondaries and outer primaries 

 toward their end ; greater coverts with white spot at end of outer web. Tail black, the outer 

 feathers more or less edged and tipped with white. Bill and feet plumbeous-blackish, former 

 paler at base below. Length 9.2.5-9.7-5 ; extent 12.50-13.00 ; wing 4.00 ; tail rather more, 

 much graduated, the outer feathers 1.00 or more shorter than the middle. Bill stout, straight, 

 Pilmost AS in AgeltFMs; culmen fully 1.00. Tarsus 1.10; middle toe and claw the same. Adult?: 

 Quite like the ^ ; not smaller, and little different in color, (;ontrary to the rule in the genus 

 and family. Back rather more olivaceous ; wings rather more edged with white ; outer tail- 

 feather edged and tipped with whitish. The sexual characters long remained undetermined. 

 This fine oriole is little known : it is a large beautiful species, occurring in the U. S. only, as 

 far as known, in the Lower Eio Grande valley ; thence southward running into the true Mexican 

 melanocephdlus. Said to be a magnificent songster, and a favorite cage bird. Nest half- 

 pensile, woven of grasses; eggs 0.95-1.00 by 0.67-0.72, white dusted with fine brown specks, 

 over which are stains and splashes of dark brown and lilac, with the coarse blackish Iiieroglyphs 

 usual in this genus. 



Crow Blackbirds; Crackles. 



Fig. 204. —Foot of a Qniscalus IQ. macruruSy iiat. sixe). (From Baird.) 



Closely resembling 

 the Agelaince both in 

 structure and in habits, 

 these birds are distin- 

 guished by the length 

 and attenuation of the 

 bill, with decidedly 

 curved culmen, es- 

 pecially towards the 

 end, more or less sin- 

 uate commissure, and 



strongly inflected tomia. The bill is quite cultrirostral, and the typical QtiiscaJi have a certain 



