THE RED-WINGED STARLING. 



35 



up the insects that frequent the blossoms. This tree is found dispersed 

 throughout the United States, and grows, as its name indicates, in the imme- 

 diate vicinity of water. Its wood is soft, and is hardly used for any other 

 purpose than that of being converted into common domestic utensils. 



Red-winged Starling, Sturnus prcedalorius, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. iv. p. 30. 



Icterus phceniceds, Bonap. Syn., p. 52. 



Agelaius phceniceus, Heel-winged Maize-bird , Swains, and Rich. P. Bor. Amer., vol. 



ii. p. 280. 

 Red-winged Blackeird, Icterus phceniceus, Nutt. Man., vol. i. p. 169. 

 Red-winged Starling or Marsh Blackbird, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 348; vol. v. p. 487. 



Tail considerably rounded. Male with the 

 plumage glossy black, the smaller wing-coverts 

 scarlet, their first or posterior row buff-coloured, 

 at the tip whitish. Female much smaller, with 

 the upper parts dark brown, the feathers edged 

 with light brown; some of the smaller wing- 

 coverts tinged with red; wings and tail blackish- 

 brown, the feathers margined with brownish- 

 red, the first row of small coverts and secondary 

 coverts narrowly tipped with whitish; a yellow- 

 ish-brown band over the eye; lower parts longi- 

 tudinally streaked with dusky and whitish, the 

 fore neck strongly tinged with dull carmine. 

 Young similar to the female, but without red 

 on the small wing-coverts or throat, the latter 

 part with the sides of the head being pale yel- 

 lowish-brown. 



Male, 9, 14. Female, 71 



Breeds from Texas throughout the United 

 States, and northward to the Saskatchewan. 

 Vast numbers spend the winter in the Southern 

 and Western States. 



In a male preserved in spirits, the palate 

 ascends rapidly, and is in the middle concave, 

 with two very prominent papillate ridges, which, 

 in meeting, form a large soft prominence, ante- 

 riorly of which the roof of the mouth is nearly 

 flat, with a median and two lateral ridges. The 

 posterior aperture of the nares is oblongo-linear, 



c 



9 



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