S8o PASSERIFORMES chap. 



a horny swelling there. The legs are stont, being long in the 

 terrestrial Agelaeinae, Sturnellinae, and Quiscalinae, and not much 

 shorter in the Icterinae and Cassicinae ; Bolichonyx has the middle 

 toe, and the Stu.rnellinae the hallux elongated. The wings are 

 long or moderate, being often pointed with far-extended outer 

 secondaries in the Sturnellinae. The tail varies in length and 

 form, but is much graduated in the Quiscalinae (Boat-tails), which 

 usually carry it in flight with the outer feathers uppermost ; it has 

 acuminate rectrices in the Sturnellinae, Zeistes, and Bolichonyx, 

 while in the last-named it is forked. Oassiculus, Eurycorystes, 

 and some species of Ostinops have crests, the male of Cassidix a 

 neck-frill, Lampropsar erect frontal plumes, the Sturnellinae bristly 

 crown-feathers, Hypopyrrhus, Curaeus, and Aplioius lanceolate 

 feathers on the head. Gymnomystax possesses naked orbits. 



The Cassicinae, or Cassiques, are sometimes uniform black, some- 

 times black relieved by chestnut, yellow, green, or scarlet ; the 

 bill being frequently white, instead of the usual black or brown. 

 The Agelaeinae are generally black, varied with red and yellow, 

 Bolichonyx oryzivorus, the Bobolink, being, however, black, Ijrown, 

 buff, and white, with a duller plumage in winter. The Sturnel- 

 linae are brown, variegated with black ; having scarlet or canary 

 yellow under parts, and in Sturndla magna, the " Meadow-Lark," 

 a black gorget. The Icterinae (all but one of which belong to 

 the extensive genus Icterus) are glossy black, with yellow, bay, or 

 orange patches — especially upon the rump and lower surftice — 

 and often some white on the wing. The Quiscalinae are black, 

 occasionally with metallic gloss, and scarlet or brown markings. 

 The females are commonly similar to the males, especially in 

 the Cassicinae, but are sometimes comparatively sombre. Agelaeus 

 phoeniceus, the " Eed-winged Starling," several males of which 

 have been captured in Britain, Icterus haltimore, the " Baltimore 

 Oriole " and Quiscalus versicolor, the " Crow-Blackbird," are good 

 examples of their respective groups. The curious resemblance of 

 Sturnella and Macronyx has already been mentioned (p. 500). 



Some of the Family are large birds for Passeres, Gymnostinops, for 

 instance,being the size of a Book; they are commonly gregarious, and 

 frequent forests or wooded country, the Agelaeinae and Sturnellinae 

 in particular preferring open grassy places and marshes, and all 

 seeming fond of the neighbourhood of water. The Cassicinae only 

 range from South Mexico to Paraguay and Bolivia ; but the other 



