460 ICTEEIDiE. 



Tropical South America and the West-Indian Islands ; but no one district possesses nearly 

 so many species as are to be found in Southern Mexico or Guatemala. Some of our 

 species, such as /. haltimore and I. spurius, are migrants from the north which spend 

 the winter months in Central America. 



The bill of Icterus varies a good deal in shape : in /. haltimore and I. sclateri the 

 culmen is nearly straight and but slightly depressed towards the tip ; in I. cucullatus 

 and I. parisorum and others it is gradually curved from the base; but in this character 

 there seems to be almost every gradation between the extremes. The gonys follows the 

 culmen, and is nearly straight or curved according as the bill is stout or slender ; the 

 tarsi are short, in conformity with the arboreal habits of the birds. The wings in /. hal- 

 iimore and the allied species are rather long, the first quill being equal to the fourth, 

 and slightly shorter than the second, which is the longest in the wing ; in /. spurius 

 the first, second, third, and fourth are subequal : in the more sedentary species, such as 

 I. cucullatus, I. sclateri, &c., the wing is more rounded, the second and third quills 

 •considerably exceed the first ; the tail in the latter birds is more rounded than in 

 /. baltimore and its allies, though the differences are not great. All the species are skilful 

 nest-builders, as will be seen in our account of several of them given below; all, 

 too, are good songsters, and if their notes are not very varied, their quality is excellent. 

 They inhabit wooded districts, not so much the virgin forests as the less heavily timbered 

 country, some frequenting the plains where Cacti and Mimosce are prevalent, others 

 preferring the oak-forests at high elevations. 



Glossy black enters more or less into the colour of the plumage of the adult males, 

 associated more or less with yellow or orange, or in some cases chestnut. 



A. Caput summum nigrum. 

 a. Sexus dissimiles. 

 a'. Bectrices externos fere omnino flavce. 

 1. Icterus baltimore. 



Oriolus baltimore, Linn. S. N. i. p. 162^. 



Xanthomus baltimore, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 436''. 



Icterus baltimore, Licht. Preis-Verz. mex. Vog. p. 1' j Bp. P. Z. S. 1837, p. 116*; Scl. P: Z. S. 



1864, p. 175'; Ibis, 1883, p. 354'; Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xi. p. 364"; Lawr. Ann. Lyc.N.Y. 



vii. p. 331 ' ; viii. p. 176 » ; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 353 "; Sumichrast, Mem. Bost. 



Soc. N. H. i. p. 553 " ; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 195 " ; Coues, B. N. W. 



p. 193"; Gundl. Om. Cub. p. 95"; Salv. & Godm. Ibis, 1880, p. 123"; Salv. Cat. Strickl. 



Coll. p. 262". 

 Yphantes baltimore, Cass. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1848, p. 90". 

 Hyphantes baltimore, Moore, P.Z. S. 1859, p. 57"; Cab. J. f. Orn. 1861, p. 7"; Cass. Pr. Ac. Phil. 



1867, p. 62'°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 104"' ; Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 303 ^\ 

 Yphantes baltimorensis, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 142 ". 



