BIRDS-ICTERIDAE—XANTHOCEPHALUS ICTEROCEPIIALUS. 
531 
The female of A. tricolor is much grayer than phoeniceus, lacking the yellow and reddish brown 
margins to the feathers of the latter. The light margins beneath are gray, not white ; besides, 
being narrower. There is no median stripe on the head; and the superciliary stripe is scarcely 
visible. There is none of the yellow about the head seen in phoeniceus; the throat is more 
streaked, and there is no light maxillary stripe cut off by an inferior one of black. 
The relationships of the female to that of A. gubernator are, however, very close ; so much 
so that, in the absence of a sufficiently large series of well established specimens, I can only 
refer to the usually slenderer and longer bill and more even tail of tricolor, to distinguish them. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. No. 
Collected by— 
4601 
2836 
5934 
5936 1 
8595 
8596 
8593 
5532 
8 
Colorado liver, Cal. 
Dec. ■—, 1854_ 
Major Emory_ 
S. F. Baird. 
19 
Dr. Kennerly_ 
Thomas Nuttall (Type). 
Dr. Cooper . _ 
Governor Stevens_ 
9? 
8 
9 
_do._ 
_do___ 
Lieut. Williamson___ 
Dr. Heermaun_- 
July 9, 1853-... 
Lieut. Trowbridge_ 
147 
9 
Petaluma, Cal_ 
E. Samuels_ 
1 Length, 8. 00 ; Extent, 13 inches. 
XANTHOCEPHALUS, Bo nap. 
Xanthocephalws, Bonap. Conspectus, 1850, 431. Type Icterus icteroceplialus, Bonap. 
Ch. —Bill conical, the length about twice the height; the outlines nearly straight. Claws all very long ; much curved ; the 
inner lateral the longoet, reaching beyond the middle of the middle claw. Tail narrow, nearly even, the outer web scarcely 
widening to the end. Wings long, mucli longer than the tail ; the first quill longest. 
This genus differs from typical Agelaius in much longer and more curved claws, even tail, and 
first quill longest, instead of the longest being the second, third or fourth. The yellow head 
and black body are also strong marks. The measurements will be found in the table with 
Agelaius. 
XANTHOCEPHALUS ICTEROCEPHALUS, Baird. 
Yellow-headed Blackbird. 
Icterus icteroceplialus, Bonap. Am. Orn. I, 1825, 27 ; pi. iii.—N utt. Man. I, 1832, 176 .—Ib. 2d ed. 187. Not Oriolus 
icterocephalus, Linn. 
JIgeluius icterocephalus, Cabanis, Mus. Hein. 1851, 188. 
Icterus ( Xanthornus ) xanthocephalus, Bonap. J. A. N. Sc. V, ii, Feb. 1826, 222 .—Ib. Syn. 1828, 52. 
Icterus xanthoceplialus, Aud. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 6 ; pi. 388. 
Agelaius xanthocephalus, Swainson, F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 281 .—Bon. List, 1838 -—Aud. Syn. 1839, 140 .—Ib. Birds 
Amer. IV, 1842, 24 : pi. 213 .—Newberry, Zool. Cal. and Or. Route ; Rep. P. R. R. 
Surv. VI, iv. 1857, 86. 
Agelaius longipes, Swainson, Phil. Mag. I, 1827, 436. 
Psarocolius perspicillalus, “Licht.” Wagler, Isis, 1829, vii, 753. 
Icterus perspicillatus, “Licht. in Mus.” Wagler, as above. 
Xanthocephalus perspicillalus, Bonap. Consp. 1850,431. 
Icterusfrenatus , Licht. Isis, 1843, 59 .—Reinhardt, in Kroyer’s Tidskrift, IV.—Ib. Vidensk. Meddel. for 1853, 
1854, 82. Greenland. 
Sp.Ch. —First quill nearly as long as the second and third, (longest,) decidedly longer than the third. Tail rounded, or 
slightly graduated. General color black, including the inner surface of wings and axillaries, base of lower mandible all round, 
leathers adjacent to nostrils, lores, upper eyelids, and remaining space around the eye. The head and neck all round ; the fore 
