250 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 
specimens from the Missouri plains and westward. Some of these vary, however, and in most 
cases the characters of wing are more like those of /. viridis, from Pennsylvania. The only- 
constant feature is the greater length of tail in western specimens, which prevails throughout. 
If there he a specific difference, it will he hased essentially upon the latter feature, upon which 
the Icteria longicauda of Mr. Lawrence was founded. His specimen, now hefore me, has the tail 
rather longer than in any other I have seen, measuring 3.90 inches. A California specimen 
from Petaluma measures 3. GO, or a little less than in No. 3978. Mr. Lawrence's specimen is 
in other respects much like the eastern ones, having less white ahout the sides of the head, less 
gray on the crown, and less white on the outer margin of first primary than in No. 3975. 
The determination of the name of this long-tailed species (if it be really one) of Icttria is a 
matter of much uncertainty. There are three from which to choose: /. velasquezii of Bonaparte, 
1837, auricollis of 1850, and longicauda, Lawrence, of 1853. Neither velasquezii nor atiricollis 
are described in a way to indicate any material difference from I. viridis. The former is said to 
have the under mandible white. If this be found to be a constant character in adult males, it is 
probable that none of the specimens in the Smithsonian collection belong to it. The description 
of auricollis, though not distinctive, will answer very well, especially as the white about the 
head is mentioned so particularly as to render it probable that it appeared more conspicuous 
than in the / viridis, which is really the case in the subject of the present article. As based on 
a Mexican specimen, it in all probibility is the same with those from New Leon — 3978 — and 
these identical, as far as I can see, with Nebraska and California ones. Still, as Mr. Lawrence's 
description is positively applicable to the one bird only, and Bonaparte's answers almost equally 
well for both, I prefer to adopt the name of the former, leaving a further examination of the 
type of auricollis in the Berlin Museum to settle the question. 
Specimens from Loup Fork, apparently young, (8841-%) differ in having the upper parts of 
a 'ull brownish yellow, occasionally touched with olivaceous. The under mandibles are whitish. 
List of specimens. 
Catal 
No. 
8GU2 
5520 
8175 
8174 
4725 
4724 
5307 
5310 
5011 
5308 
5304. 
4647 
4648 
5306 
5649 
8841 
8812 
8778 
4971 
3978 
3979 
9109 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When col- 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig'l 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
April — , 1856 
7.50 
9.16 
3.16 
May 10, 1852 
3 
May 17, 1856 
May 21, 
May 31, 
June 17, 1856 
Lt. Wairen 
7.75 
7.25 
7.50 
7.00 
7.25 
7.25 
7.25 
10.00 
9.75 
10.00 
9.50 
9.75 
10.00 
9.50 
3.25 
3.25 
3.00 
3.25 
3.25 
2.00 
3.25 
d ° 
3 
9 
3 
: 
;° 
do 
do 
3 
June 21, 1856 
June 12, 1855 
May 12, 1855 
June 1, 1856 
Aug. 21, 1856 
Aug. 5, 
do 
3 
9 
3 
6 
3 
Little Shyenne 
7.00 
9.62 
3.00 
292 
Lt. Warren 
7.00 
C.75 
9.50 
8.12 
2.75 
Forks of Platte river 
Aug. 13, le57 
151 
3 
3 
Mar. — , 1853 
6.75 
7.25 
9.75 
9.50 
3.25 
3.25 
121 
34716 
Billb'k;ft. dark lead. 
