294 
BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. 
3. Under parts bright lemon yellow. 
4. Tail shorter than wing, graduated for less than length of bill. 
parisorum, p. 294. 
4'. Tail longer than wing, graduated for more than length of bill. 
audubonii, p. 294. 
3'. Under parts orange yellow or orange red. 
4. Malar region and streak over lores yellow or orange. 
bullocki, p. 298. 
4'. Whole head black.galbula, p. 297. 
1'. Plumage black and brown.spurius, p. 29G. 
Subgenus Icterus. 
503. Icterus audubonii Giraud. Audubon Oriole. 
Adults. — Under parts bright lemon yellow with sharply contrasting black 
head , chest patch , wings , and tail; back varying from lemon yellow to 
yellowish green ; wings with white edgings and yellowish green on cov¬ 
erts ; tail graduated and narrowly tipped with lighter. Young: without 
any black, upper parts olive-green, under parts yellow. Male: length 
(skins) 8.45-9.20, wing 3.79-4.03, tail 4.04-4.18, bill 1.01-1.11. Female: 
length (skins) 8.00-9.30, wing 3.70-3.8G, tail 3.92-4.17, bill .86-1.04. 
Distribution. — Resident from southern Texas to central and eastern 
Mexico. 
Nest. —Semi-pensile, woven of fine, wiry grasses and lined with grass- 
tops, hung usually 6 to 14 feet from the ground in mesquite trees, thickets, 
or open woods. Eggs : 3 to 5, pale bluish or grayish white, with light hair 
lines of brown and dark purple ; or else the ground color obscured by 
pale purple suffusion, blotched and streaked with brown and lavender. 
Mr. Attwaterhas twice found the Audubon oriole near San Antonio 
in the high pecan timber, and considers it a rare winter wanderer. 
Dr. Merrill states that it is resident in the lower Rio Grande Valley 
near Brownsville. In summer, he says, it is usually found in deep 
woods away from houses, but in winter is less shy and retiring. 
504. Icterus parisorum Bonap. Scott Oriole. 
Adult male in spring and summer. — Black, except for bright lemon yel¬ 
low belly, shoulders, posterior parts of back, and white and yellow mark¬ 
ings on wings and tail; rump and upper tail coverts usually tinged with 
olive. Adult male in winter: like 
summer male but white markings on 
wings broader ; feathers of back more 
or less edged with gray; rump and 
Fig. 362. upper tail coverts more strongly 
washed with olive or gray ; flanks tinged with olive. Adult female : under 
parts greenish yellow; upper parts olive green, becoming yellowish on 
rump and outer tail feathers, marked with grayish brown on back; wing 
crossed by two white bars, and quills edged with whitish. Immature male: 
plumage varying from that of female to that of male, according to age. 
Young of year: similar to adult female, but with all the wing feathers 
edged and tipped with white, wing band yellowish, tail tipped with yel¬ 
low, breast obscured by brownish, and yellow of under parts paler and 
greener. Male: length (skins) 7.40-8.30, wing 3.88-4.20, tail 3.12-3.62, 
bill .S2-.97. Female: length (skins) 7.25-8.00, wing 3.72-4.02, tail 3.20- 
3.48, bill .S0-.9O. 
