BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMKRIOA. 191 



rictus. Nostril slightly below lateral median line of maxilla, broadly 

 oval, bored directly into the horny rhinotheca, not beveled anteriorly, 

 the posterior end nearly or quite touching feathers of loral antise. 

 Wing rather long (nearly four times as long as culmen), the tip rather 

 long (about as long as culmen), rounded; outermost (ninth) primary 

 intermediate between fourth and third, the sixth, or seventh and sixth, 

 longest, the fifth but little shorter; inner webs of three or four outer 

 primaries rather suddenly narrowed toward tips but not appreciably 

 sinuated. Tail about six-sevenths as long as wing, much rounded or 

 graduated (graduation equal to about one-half the length of culmen, 

 or slightly more), the rectrices rather narrow. Tarsus shorter than 

 culmen, its anterior scutella very distinct; middle toe, with claw, 

 decidedly shorter than tarsus, but longer than maxilla from nostril; 

 outer toe with claw reaching to base of middle claw, the inner decidedly 

 shorter; hallux nearly as long as inner toe, much stouter, its claw 

 shorter than the digit. A conspicuous crest of long, rather broad, 

 soft feathers springing from middle of crown. 



Coloration — Black (olive-slaty in female), with whole rump, tail- 

 coverts, most of tail, and a large pat(;h on wing-coverts bright lemon- 

 yellow. 



Range. — Western Mexico. (Monotypic.) 



CASSICULUS MELANICTERUS (Bonaparte.) 

 MEXICAN OACiaUE. 



Adult male. — General color deep black; rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 most of the tail,^ posterior lesser wing-coverts, middle coverts, inner- 

 most greater coverts, and under tail-coverts clear lemon yellow; bill 

 light grayish green or yellowish green (greenish white in life), some- 

 times drying darker, especially on basal portion; iris brown; legs and 

 feet blackish; length (skins), 274.3-333.9 (293.9); wing, 149.9-163.1 

 (155.2); tail, 126.6-137.2 (131.3); culmen, 40.4-43.2 (41.9); depth of 

 bill at base, 14.7-15 (16); tarsus, 33.6-36.6 (34.8); middle toe, 23.6- 

 24.1 (23.9).^ 



Admit female. — Decidedly smaller than the male and with the black 

 replaced by dark olive-slate above, deep sooty gray below; sides of 

 forehead usually more or less spotted with yellow; yellow of upper 

 tail-coverts tinged with olive; all the yellow rectrices more or less 

 edged with dusky or olive; length (skins), 236.2-261.6 (246.4); wing, 

 121.9-146.1 (132.3); tail, 106.2-126.5 (113); culmen, 34.8-40.6 (36.8); 



The middle pair of rectrices (except concealed base), and greater part of outer web 

 of outermost pair, are black; the remainder of the tail is yellow, though some of 

 the yellow rectrices have more or less dusky near tip of outer webs, the terminal 

 portion of inner web of outermost rectrices also sometime s partly dusky next to the 

 shaft. 



''Five specimens. 



