ICTEETJS. 469 



Mr. Sennett found it in some numbers at Lomita and Hidalgo on the Texan side of the 

 river. He also found some nests, which were composed of dry grasses woven amongst 

 the growing twigs and leaves, and were open, rather shallow, half-pensile structures. The 

 eggs are white, covered with fine flecks of brown, over which, chiefly at the larger end, 

 are irregular stains and splashes of deeper brown, sometimes mixed with lilac ; over 

 these, again, are dark brown or black hieroglyphics. 



It is a bird often met with in cages, as its powers of song are considerable. In 

 Mexico it occurs in the temperate region of the State of Vera Cruz, and it is very 

 common in the State of Orizaba, where it also builds. The southern limit of its range 

 is the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. We have never met with it in Guatemala. 



B. Caput summum Jlavum aut aurantiacum. 



c. 8exus similes ; alee nigrce hand alio limbatoe, cauda hand alio terminata. 



d'. Cauda nigra. 

 10. Icterus giraudi. 



Icterus giraudi, Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1847, p. 333 ' ; 1860, p. 140 ' ; 1867, p. 52 ' ; Journ. Ac. Phil. 



ser. 2, i. p. 138, 1. 17 *; Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 228 ' ; Ibis, 1873, p. 373 ' ; 1883, p. 366 ' ; Cat. 



B. Brit. Mus. xi. p. 379 ^ Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 20'; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 353 "j 1879, 



p. 509"; Lawr.Ann, Lye. N.Y.Tii. p.297''; Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 142"; 1870, p. 190'*; 



Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 263 ^' ; Wyatt, Ibis, 1871, p. 330 '" ; Zeledon, Cat. Av. de Costa Eica, 



p. 9"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 445 "■". 

 Icterus melanopterus, Hartl. Eev. Zool. 1849, p. 275 " , Moore, P. Z. S, 1859, p. 58 '°. 

 Xanthornus chrysater, Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 434 ". 



Flavus, aurantio tinctus ; fronte capitis lateribus ab oculis, gula, alis et cauda nigris ; rostro et pedibus plumbeo- 

 nigris. Long, tota 82, als 3'8, oaudse 3'8, rostri a rictu I'O, tarsi I'O. (Descr. maris ex Volcan de 

 Puego, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) 



Hah. Mexico 21, Santecomapam (JBoucard^), Yucatan (Gaumer ^^) ; Guatemala (/S^^m- 

 ner ^, Constancia ^^), Volcan de Fuego ^, Duenas ^, San Antonio Nacoil, Motagua 

 valley, Tactic '^, Cohan {0.S.& F.I). G.) ; Honduras, Omoa {Leyland^'^), Euatan I. 

 (Gaumer); Nicaragua, Chontales {Belt^); Costa JlicA (Zeledon ^'^) ; Panama, 

 Chitra ^^ Boquete de Chitra, Castillo ^S Santa Fe ^^ (Arce), Lion-HiU Station 

 {M'Leannan ^^ ^^), Chepo {Arc6 ''), Truando, Nercua (Wood ^). — Colombia ^ ^^ ^^ ; 

 Venezuela '^ ^^. 



This Icterus does not appear to be a common bird in Southern Mexico, and is 

 not included in Sumichrast's list of the birds of the State of Vera Cruz ; but Boucard 

 found.it at Santecomapam^, and we believe that the bird described from Mexico 

 by Bonaparte as Xanthornus chrysater refers to the same species ; but in Yucatan 

 Mr, Gaumer says it is common, and it certainly is so over a large portion of Guatemala, 

 where it occurs at various elevations from the sea-level to an altitude of 6000 feet and 

 more in the Volcan de Fuego; thence we trace it southwards to Colombia and 



