ICTEEF8. . 471 



to the Atlantic seaboard of the State of Vera Cruz, where Sumichrast says it ascends 

 the mountains to a height of about 3300 feet ; it is also found in Yucatan, and thence 

 passes southwards, s'till keeping to the eastern side of the mountain-ranges until we 

 reach Nicaragua, where its range embraces the lowlands bordering both oceans. Its 

 range southwards extends to Western Peru, where Captain A. H. Markham obtained 

 an example at Payta and Stolzmann atTumbez, and other places in the interior as high 

 as 4800 feet above the sea. In Guatemala we only met with it in the forest country 

 north of Coban in Vera Paz at an elevation of about 1500 feet above the sea*. 



Cassin separated Costa-Kican and southern birds from those of Mexico and Guatemala 

 under the name of Icterus salvini, on account of their reputed larger size and the absence 

 of the white edging to the middle secondaries. On examining a large series from all 

 parts of its range we find that these characters are not sufficiently pronounced to admit 

 of any separation of the two forms. The yellow tail of this species renders it easily 

 distinguishable from all other members of the genus with the exception of Icterus 

 laltimore and its immediate allies, which, again, have the upper parts of the head as 

 well as the back black. 



Several writers speak of the excellence of the powers of this bird's song, and 

 Herr Stolzmann has put its notes to music '^^- 



d. Sexus dissimiles, alce^lus minusve alio limhatce, cauda griseo-alha terminata. 



f '. Rostrum dehile acutum. 

 12. Icterus cucullatus. 



Icterus cucullatus, Sw. Phil. Mag. new ser. i. p. 436^; Scl.P. Z. S. 1856, p. 301'; 1864, p. 175 ''j 

 Ibis, 1883, p. 364*; Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xi. p. 376'; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 20'; Baird, 

 Mex. Bound. Surv. ii. Zool., Birds, p. 19 ' ; Duges, La Nat. i. p. 139 ' ; Sumiclirast, Mem. 

 Bost. Soc. N. H. i. p. 553 ' ; Baird, Brew., & Eidgw. N. Am. B. ii. p. 193 '° ; Gundl. Orn. Cub. 

 p. 96"; Sennett, Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. iv. p. 25"; v. p. 398"; MerriU, Pr. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus. i. p. 134 " ; Boueard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 445 '' ; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 570 '" ; 

 Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1886, p. 150". 

 Pendulinus cucullatus, Cass. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1867, p. 60 ". 

 Icterus cucullatus ignms, Ridgw. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 19 ". 



Aurantius; fronte, regione ocniari, gutture, intersoapulio nigerrimis ; alls et cauda nigris, illis extus albo 

 anguste limbatis albo quoque bifasciatis, hac tenuissime albo terminata ; subalanbus flavis ; rostro et 

 pedibus plumbeo-nigris. Long, tota 7-5, alse 3-5, caudae 3-8, rostri a rictu 0-85, tarsi 0'9. 

 5 olivaceo-fusca, dorso medio et cauda fuscescentioribus ; alls obscure fuscis extus albido limbatia et bifasciatis ; 

 subtus Bordide flava, abdomine dilutiore. (Descr. maris et feminse ex insula Jolbox, Tucatan. Mus. 

 nostr.) 



Eab. North America, Texas 12 is i4._Mbxico, Temiscaltepec {Bullock i), Charco Escon- 



dido, Tamaulipas {Couch''), Guanajuato {I)uges% valley of Mexico {White % 



Chietla, Atlixco {Perez^''), hot region of Vera Cruz {Sumichrast % Cordova 



{SallS^), Merida in Yucatan {Devis% Silam in Yucatan {Gaumer^^), Jolbox I., 



* The young bird from Duenas caUed J. mesomelas (Ibis, 1860, p. 34) should have been referred to /. waglcri. 



