414 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PASSEBES — OSGINES 



from New England, Hudson's Bay, the Saskatchewan and Rocky Mts. to Texas and the 

 Gulf States. 

 337. Q. p. aglsB'us. (Gr. dyXaios, aglaios, splendid.) Florida Crow Blackbird. Green 

 Grackle. Birds resident in S. Florida are smaller than average pv/rpweus, with relatively 

 longer and slenderer bill more decurved at tip ; the hody lustre chiefly greenish ; head and neck 

 chiefly violaceous steel-blue ; wings and tail steel-blue, becoming violet on the coverts. Aver- 

 aging an inch less in length than pmrpwreus, and other parts in proportion, excepting the biU 

 and feet, which are quite as long. (§. baritus, Bd., 1858, nee auot. Q. aglasus, Bd., 1866.) 



18. Family CORVID-^ : Crows, Jays, etc. 



Cultrirosiral Oscmes with 10 prima- 

 ries. — A rather large and important 

 family, comprising such familiar birds 

 as ravens, crows, rooks, jackdaws, 

 magpies, jays, with their allies, and a 

 few diverging forms not so well known ; 

 nearly related to the famous birds of 

 paradise. There are 10 primaries, of 

 which the 1st is short, generally about 

 half as long as the 3d, and several 

 outer ones are more or less sinuate- 

 attenuate on the inner web toward the 

 end. The tail has 19 rectrioes, as usual 

 among higher birds; it varies much 

 in shape, but is generally rounded — 

 sometimes extremely graduated, as in 

 the magpie ; and is not forked in any 

 of our forms. The tarsus has scuteUa 

 in front, separated on one or both sides 

 from the rest of the tarsal envelope 

 by a groove, sometimes naked, some- 

 times filled in by small scales. The 

 bill is stout, about as long as the he£fd 

 or shorter, tapering, rather acute, generally notched, with convex culmen; it lacks the com- 

 missural angulation of the Frimgillidcs and Icteridm, the deep cleavage of the Sirundmidm, 

 the slendemess of the CertUidcB, Sittidce, and most smaU insectivorous birds. The rictus 

 usually has a few stiffish bristles, and there are others about the base of the bill. An essentia] 

 character is seen in the dense covering of the nostrils with large long tufts of close-pressed 

 antrorse bristly feathers (excepting, among our forms, in Crymnocitta and Psilorhinus). These 

 last features distinguish the Cwmdm from all our other birds excepting Pa/ridce; the mutual 

 resemblance is here so close, that I cannot point out any obvious technical character of external 

 form to distinguish, for example, Cyanocitta from Lophophanes, or Perisoreus from Parus. 

 But as already remarked, size is here perfectly distinctive, all the CorvidiB being much larger 

 birds than any of the Paridce. 



Owing to the uniformity of color in the leading groups of the family, and an apparent 

 plasticity of organization in many forms, the number of species is difficult to determine, and 

 Is very variously estimated by diflferent writers. Mr. G. R. Gray admits Upwards of 300, 

 which he distributes in 50 genera and subgenera; but these figures are certainly excessive. 



Pig. 266. —European Jackdaw (Camus monedula.) (From 

 IMxon.) 



