ICTERUS ICTEROCEPHALUS. 
48 
tip with black ; the last of the primaries being 
white at tip, and on the greater part of the base of f 
outer vane ; the small lanceolate outer feather is wb'** 
black on the shaft and base of the inner vane; the ty! 
next only being tipped with white, the outer of wlw 
is also wliite on the exterior margin. 
GENUS I V. — ICTERUS, Brisson. 
8. ICTERUS ICTEROCEFHALUSj LINNiEUS. 
YELLOW-HEADED TROOPIAL, BONAPARTE, ALSO THE YELLO^' 
HEADED BLACKBIRD OF BONAPARTE. 
BONAPARTE, PLATE III. FIG. I. MALE ; FIG. II. FEMALE. 
Although this species has long been known 
naturalists as an inhabitant of South America, and 
name introduced into all their works, yet they h»\ 
given us no other information concerning it, than tW 
it is black, with a yellow head and neck. It was adw 
to the fauna of the United States by the expedition 
Major Long to the Rocky Mountains. 
The female has been hitherto entirely unknown, a 11 
all the figures yet given of the male extremely imp* 
feet, from the circumstance of their having been driw 
from wretchedly stuffed specimens. The figures p 1 *, 
lished by Edwards and Bnffon approach the near*' 
to the real magnitude; but they are mere masses * 
black, surmounted by a yellow cap : those of BrisS* 
and others, are considerably smaller. 
As that striking character, the white spot on [ . 
wing, is neither indicated in the figure nor descripw 
of any author, we might have been induced to belief 
that our species is different from the South America 
if a close comparison of the two had not proved th*'! 
identity. Another circumstance might have been equ^ 
deceptive : Brisson, who gave the first account of 
bird, from a Cayenne specimen sent to Reaum 1 * i 
Museum, and who seems to have been copied bf'J 
subsequent authors, states its length to be less 
seven inches, a size considerably inferior to that of % 
living bird. Had this admeasurement been taken 
2 
