142 KEY AND DESCRIPTION 



winter) is a streaky, brownish, sparrow-like bird, with a distinct 

 whitish patch on the wings, in the position of the wing coverts. 

 This is a common bird of the Plains east of the Kocky Mountains. 



Length, 6|; wing, 3| {Z\-Z\) ; tail, 3; tarsus, 1 ; culmen, \. Middle 

 Kansas to Manitoba, common east of the Rockies, but to be found all the 

 way to the Pacific, and south to Lower California. Accidental in some 

 eastern states (Mass., N. Y., S. C). 



FAMILY XIV. BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. (ICTERIDiE) 



A family (100 species) of American walking birds, which 

 vary greatly in sizes, habits, and colors. Our species are quite 

 naturally and easily separated into four subfamilies, under 

 which the characteristics will be given. (1) Marsh Blackbirds. 

 Medium-sized, generally black-colored, conical-billed birds, liv- 

 ing mainly on the ground of marsh, meadow, or prairie. These 

 birds congregate together in great numbers, different species 

 in the same flock. ISTos. l-i. (2) Meadow Starlings. These 

 are long-conical-billed, short-tailed birds, with their plumage 

 consisting mainly of browas and yellows. Their name indi- 

 cates their meadow-living habits. No. 5. (3) Orioles. This 

 group comprises brightly colored, tree-loving, song birds, with 

 very sharp-pointed, elongated bills.' The orioles build wonder- 

 fully woven hanging nests of fibrous materials. The plumage 

 of the males is mainly black, strikingly relieved with other 

 colors, among which are orange, chestnut, yellow, and white. 

 All the species are pleasing singers, and some have peculiarly 

 rich and flexible voices. ISTos. 6 and 7. (4) Grackles and Crow 

 Blackbirds. A group of large to medium, ground-running, 

 black-plumaged birds, with long, sharp-pointed, somewhat 

 curved bills.^ The black colors are often richly bronzed with 

 green, blue, and other tints. Their nests are rude and bulky, 

 and their notes, in most cases, far from musical. Many of the 

 species are to be found in flocks, throughout the year. Nos. 

 8-12. Many species of the family vary much in the sizes of 

 the males and females. In the dimensions given under the 

 different species the smaller numbers refer to the females. 



