BIRDS — ICTERIDAE — QUISCALUS VERSICOLOR. 



555 



QUISCALUS MAJOR, V i e i 1 1 . 



Boat-tailed Grakle; Jackdaw. 



Gracula barita, Wilson, Index Ara. Dm. VI, 1812, (not of Linnaeus.) 



Crracula quiscala, Ord. J. A. N, Sc. I, 1818, 953, (not of Linnaeus.) 



Q,uiscalus major, Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. XXVIII, 1819, 487.— Bon. Am. Orn. I, 1825, 35 ; pl.'iv.— Ib. List, 1838.— 



Ib. Consp. 1850, 424.— Ann. Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 504: V, 1838, 480 ; pi. 187.— Ib. Syn. 1839, 



146.— Ib. Birds Amer. IV, 1842, 52 ; pi. 220. 

 Chalcophanes major, " Temm." Cabanis, Mus. Hein, 1851, 196. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill longer than the head. Feathers of the crown stiff and coarse. Tail moderate, ab»ut equal to the wing-, much 

 graduated, the lateral feathers about 2.50 inches shortest. General color lustrous black ; the head, neck, and fore part of the 

 breast glossed with purple, passing insensibly on the rest of the body to green. 



Length, about 15 inches ; wing, 7 ; tail, 7.25. Bill above 1.55. 



Hah. — Southern Atlantic and Gulf coast. Mouth of Rio Grande, Texas. 



A specimen from Brownsville, Texas, tliougli associated there with M. macrourus, appears to 

 possess all the characters of major. The loral region and spa,ce around the eye are quite bare of 

 feathers. 



List of specimens. 



QUISCALUS VERSICOLOR, Vieillot. 



Crow Blackbird ; Purple Grakle. 



Gracula quhcala, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 165.— Gmelin, I, 1788, 397.— Latham, ;ind. I, 1790, 191.— Wilson, 

 Am. Orn. Ill, 1811,44; pi. xxi, f. 4. 



Chalchophanes quiscalus, Wagler, Syst. Av. 1827, (Gracula.) — Cab. Mus. Hein. 1851, 196. 



? ? Oriolus ludovicianus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 387 ; albino var. 



? ? Oriolus niger, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 393. 



? Gracula purpurea, Bartram, Travels, 1791, 290. 



Q,uiscalusveraicol<>r, Vieillot, Analyse.' 1816. — Ib. Nouv. Diet. XXVITI, 1819, 488. — Ib. Gal. Ois. 1,171; pi. 

 cviii.— BoN. Obs. Wils. 1824, No. 45.— Ib. Am. Orn. I, 1825, 45 ; pi. v.— Ib. List, 1838.— 



Ib. Conspectus, 1840, 424.— Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 485 ^Nuttall, Man. 1, 1832, 194.— 



AuD. Orn. Biog. 1, 1831, 35 : V, 1838, 481 ; pi. vii — Ib. Syn. 1839, 146.— Ib. Birds Amer. 

 IV, 1842,58; pi. 221. 



Gracula barita, Obb. J. A. N. Sc. I; 1818, 253. 



" Q,uiscttluspurpureus,hiCBT." '- 



Q,uiscalus niUns, Licht. Verz. 1823, No. 164. 



Q,uiscalus purpwatus, Swainson, Anim. in Menag. 1838, No. 55. 



Purple Grakle, Pennant, Arctic ZooJ. II. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill above, about as long as the head, more than twice as long as high ; the commissure moderately sinuated and 

 considerably decurved at tip. Tail a httle shorter than the wing, much graduated, the lateral feathers 1.10 inches shorter 

 Third quill longest ; first between fourth and fifth. Head and neck all round well defined steel blue ; the rest of the body with 



