54 
QUISCALUS MAJOR. 
of Linne is a species not found in the United State* 
but common in the West Indies, called Icterus niff' 
by Brisson, and afterwards Oriolus niger by GmeW 
and Latham; the barita of Latham, his boat-tail' 
grakle, is evidently the same with the quiscalai. 
Gmelin’s barita is taken partly from that of Liu'" 
and partly from the boat-tailed grakle of Latham, beii’j 
compounded from both species ; we shall not be J 
the trouble of deciphering’ the errors of subsequr^ 
compilers. 
Ornithologists are all at variance as to the classic* 
tion of these species. Linne and Latham improper 
referred them to Gracula ; Daudin, with no bet!' 
reason, placed them under Sturnus ; Temminck coof 
ders them as Ictcri, Cuvier as Cassica, and VieiU 111 
has formed a new genus for their reception. I ha 14 
no hesitation in agreeing with the latter author, a" 
adopt his name of Quiscalus ; but I add to the gen' 1 * 
as constituted by him, the Gracula ferruginea, whi\ 
he regarded as a Pendulinus, and which other auth*'? 
have arranged in several different genera, making of' 
a profusion of nominal species. Wilson judicious 
included that species in the same genus with tla'-f 
above mentioned, although other authors had place*! 
in Turdus, Oriolus , Sfc. 
The genus Quiscalus is peculiar to America, arid 
composed of four well ascertained species, three ' 
which are found in the United States ; these 
Quiscalus major, f versicolor, and ferruginous ; f' 1 ,' 
fourth, Quiscalus baritus, inhabits the West Indi'" 
and probably South America. 
The species of this genus are gregarious, and on 1 ' 1 
vorous ; their food being composed of insects, i'C 1 ' 1 ' 
* It was probably by Latham, that Mr Ord was led to lnw'i'f. 
the names of the two species; for, perceiving that the barit (1 , 
that author was the quiscala, he inferred, that the quiscalu. v ' 
the barita. j 
f We call the present species Quiscalus major , agreeably. . 
Vieillot, who certainly intended this bird, although his descrip 11 
is a mere indication. 
