188 X. ICTEEOCEPHALUS, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. 



to their mutual amusement, I should say, for the birds were uever hit, 

 and rather seemed to like the sport. Often, as I sat in my quarters on a 

 bright sunny day, the light would be suddenly obscured, just as by a 

 quickly passing cloud, and a rushing noise ensued as the compact flock 

 swirled past the window. They often alighted by hundreds on the roofs 

 of the barracks, almost hiding the shingles, and every picket of a long 

 paling fence near by would sometimes be capped by its bird. They were 

 very noisy, chattering from daylight till dark — all the time they could 

 see to fly about. ISTobody troubled them much ; but Hawks of various 

 kinds — the Harrier, the Western Ked-breast, and the Lanier — were con- 

 tinually dashing in among them, with terrible swooping, bringing death 

 to not ii few, and dismay everywhere. At this season the sexes kept 

 mostly apart; the flocks of males seemed to largely outnumber the 

 females. Very few of those I shot and examined were in perfect plum- 

 age, much of the black being varied with different shades of brown and 

 yellowish, and the white wing-bar being imperfect. In spring the birds 

 resort together to marshy spots, breeding in loose communities. The 

 nests and eggs do not differ ax^preciably from those of the common 

 Eedwing. 



XANTHOCEPHALUS ICTEEOCEPHALUS, (Bp.) Bd. 

 Yellow-headed Blackbird, 



Icterus icterocephalus, Bp., Am. Ora. i, 1835, 27, pi. 3.— Ndtt., Man. i, 1832, 17G ; 2(3 ed. 

 1840, 187. 



Agelteus icterocephalus, Cab., Mns. Hein. i, 1851, 188. 



Xanthocejihalus icterocephalus, Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 531 ; Mex. B. Surv. ii, 1859, pt. ii, 18.^ 

 Cass., Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 11 (several near Philadelphia). — CoyES, Pr. I'hila. 

 Acail. 1866, 91 (New Mexico and Arizona). — Dress., Ibis, 1865, 492.— Coues, 

 Am. Nat. v, 1671, 195 (biography).— Coop., B. Cal. i, 1870, 267.— Sxow, B. 

 Kans. (breeding). — Allen, Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 636 (Watertowu, Mass.). — Mayx., 

 Guide, 1870, 122 (same. case). -Allex, Bull. M. C. Z. iii, 1872, 178 (Kansas to 

 Utah).-ALLEX, Mem. Bost. Soo. i, 1868, 498 (Iowa) ; 518 (Illinois).— Tuexb., 

 B. E. Pa. 43 (casual).— SxEV., U. S. Geol. Surv. Ter. 1870, 46.5.— Mbrr., ibid. 

 1872, 686.— Sxow, B. Kans. 1873, 8.— Aiken, Pr. Bost. Soo. 1872, 202 (Wy- 

 oming).- CouES, Kev, 1872, 156, fig. 98.— B. B. & E., N. A. B. ii, 1874, 167, pi. 

 32, f. 9, pi. 33, f. 9. 



Icterus xanthocephalus, Bp., Journ. Phila. Acad, v, 1826, 222 ; Syn. 1828, 52. — AuD., Orn. 

 Biog. V, 1839, 6, pi. 388. 



Agclaius xantlioceplialws, Sw. & EiCH., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 281 (north to 58°). — Bp., List, 

 1838, 29.— Add., Syn. 1839, 140.— Aud., B. Am. iv, 1842, 24, pi. 213.— WoODn., 

 Sitgr. Kep. 1853, 80.— Newb., P. E. E. Eep. vi, 1857, 86.— Hebkm., ibid, x, 1869, 

 pt. vi, 52.— Maxol, J. f. O. vi, 1858, 261.— Tkippe, Pr. Eas. Inst, vi, 1871, 117 

 (Minnesota). 



Agclaius longipes, Sw., Syn. Mex. B. in Philos. Mag. i, 1827, 436, No. .57. 



Icterus perspicillatus, Licht., " Mus. Berol." 



Psarocolius pei'spicillatus, Wagl., Isis, 1829, 758. 



Xaiithoceplmluspersj>icillatus, Bp., Consp. i, 1850, 431. 



Jgelceus perspicillatus, Eelxh., Ibis, iii, 1861, 7 (Nenortalik, Greenland, Sept. 2, 1820). 



" Icterus frenatus, Light., Isis, 1843, 59.— Eeixh., Kroyer's Tidskrift, iv : Vidensk. 

 Meddel. for 1853 (1854), 82 (Greenland)." 



Sab. — Western North America. North to the Saskatchewan and Eed Eivcr {Richard, 

 sou). East regularly to Iowa and Illinois (^/^m), and Wisconsin (Coues). Casually to 

 Greenland (Eeinhardi), Pennsylvania {Cassin, Tumbull), and Massachusetis (4H««). 

 West to the Pacific. South into Mexico. Cape Saint Lucas, Florida (Mus. S. I.). Cuba 

 (Cab., J. f. 0. vii, 1857, 350). 



list of specimens. 



19367 

 19368 



Devil's Gate--'. 

 Sweetwater - . . 



May 15, 1860 

 May 17, 1800 



G. H. Trook. 

 do 



10.75 



17.25 



Lieutenant Warrett's Expedition. — 5323, near Fort Pierre. 



Later Expeditions.— ^0737, Green Elver ; C1783-4, 61786-7, Idaho. 



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