168 YELLOW-HEADED TROOPIAL. 



and Buffon approach the nearest to the real magnitude ; but they arc 

 mere masses of black, surmounted by a yellow cap ; those of Brisson 

 and others, are considerably smaller. 



As that striking character, the white spot on the wing, is neither in- 

 dicated in the figure nor description of any author, we might have been 

 induced to believe that our species is different from the South American, 

 if a close comparison of the two had not proved their identity. Another 

 circumstance might have been equally deceptive : Brisson, who gave the 

 first account of this bird, from a Cayenne specimen sent to Reaumur's 

 Museum, and who seems to have been copied by all subsequent authors, 

 states its length to be less than seven inches, a size considerably inferior 

 to that of the living bird. Had this admeasurement been taken from a 

 recent specimen, we could hardly hesitate to believe our bird distinct ; 

 but as he had only a dried skin, and as Buffon's figure represents a 

 nearer approach to the size of nature, we conclude that Brisson's esti- 

 mate is not to be implicitly relied upon. Vieillot, who never saw the 

 bird, states the length to be six inches and a half, and refers it to his 

 genus PenduUnus, but it certainly belongs to his genus Agelaius. 



The male Yellow-headed Troopial is ten inches and a half long. The 

 bill is dark horn color, and formed exactly like that of the Red-winged 

 Troopial. The feet are black ; the irides dark brown. The whole 

 head, neck, and breast, are brilliant orange-yellow, more vivid and seri- 

 ceous on the head, and terminating in a point on the belly ; the fea- 

 thers around the base of the bill, the chin, and a wide stripe passing 

 from the bill through the eye, are black. The remaining parts, except- 

 ing some feathers of the belly, and some of the under tail coverts, which 

 are yellow at base, are glossy black, very slightly tinged with brownish. 

 Some of the exterior wing coverts are pure white with black tips, con- 

 stituting two very remarkable white spots on the wing, the larger of 

 which is formed by the greater coverts of the primaries, and the smaller 

 one by the middling coverts. The first, second, and third primaries, 

 are longest and equal. The tail is four inches long, slightly rounded, 

 the two middle feathers being somewhat shorter than those immediately 

 adjoining. This character Wilson remarked in the Red- winged Troopial ; 

 and, as other notable traits are common to both species, we must regard 

 them, not only as congeneric, but as very closely allied species of the 

 same sub-genus. They differ, however, in color, and the Yellow- 

 headed Troopial is larger, having the bill, feet, and claws consequently 

 stronger, and the first primary longer than the second and third, or at 

 least as long ; whereas, in the Red-winged, the third is the longest. 



The female of our Troopial is eight inches and a quarter long, a size 

 remarka.bly inferior to that of the male, and exactly corresponding with 

 the difference existing between the sexes of the Red-winged Troopial. 

 The bill and feet are proportionally smaller than those of the male, the 



