Chapter XII: Section IV: Crown rufous; body above, olive-green (3)

They are found in abundance in all the grassy meadows or rushy marshes of Illinois and Wisconsin, where they breed in large communities. In swamps overgrown with tall rushes, and partially overflowed, they construct their nests just above the water, and build them around the stems of these water-plants, where they are thickest, in such a manner that it is difficult to discover them, except by diligent search, aided by familiarity with their habits.

In Texas Mr. Dresser met with a few in the fall, and again in April he found the prairies covered with these birds. For about a week vast flocks remained about the town, after which they suddenly disappeared, and no more were seen.

In California, Dr. Cooper states that they winter in large numbers in the middle districts, some wandering to the Colorado Valley and to San Diego. They nest around Santa Barbara, and thence northward, and are very abundant about Klamath Lake. They associate with the other Blackbirds, but always keep in separate companies. They are very gregarious, even in summer.

Dr. Cooper states that the only song the male attempts consists of a few hoarse, chuckling notes and comical squeakings, uttered as if it was a great effort to make any sound at all.

Dr. Coues speaks of it as less numerous in Arizona than at most other localities where found at all. He speaks of it as a summer resident, but in this I think he may have been mistaken.

In Western Iowa Mr. Allen saw a few, during the first week in July, about the grassy ponds near Boonesboro’. He was told that they breed in great numbers, north and east of that section, in the meadows of the Skunk River country. He also reports them as breeding in large numbers in the Calumet marshes of Northern Illinois.

Sir John Richardson found these birds very numerous in the interior of the fur countries, ranging in summer as far to the north as the 58th parallel, but not found to the eastward of Lake Winnipeg. They reached the Saskatchewan by the 20th of May, in greater numbers than the Redwings.

Through California, as well as in the interior, Mr. Ridgway found the Yellow-headed Blackbird a very abundant species, even exceeding in numbers the _A. phœniceus_, occurring in the marshes filled with rushes. This species he found more gregarious than the Redwing, and frequently their nests almost filled the rushes of their breeding-places. Its notes he describes as harsher than those of any other bird he is acquainted with. Yet they are by no means disagreeable, while frequently their attempts at a song were really amusing. Their usual note is a deep _cluck_, similar to that of most Blackbirds, but of a rather deeper tone. In its movements upon the ground its gait is firm and graceful, and it may frequently be seen walking about over the grassy flats, in small companies, in a manner similar to the Cow Blackbird, which, in its movements, it greatly resembles. It nests in the sloughs, among the _tulé_, and the maximum number of its eggs is four.

Mr. W. J. McLaughlin of Centralia, Kansas, writes (American Naturalist, III, p. 493) that these birds arrive in that region about the first of May, and all disappear about the 10th of June. He does not think that any breed there. During their stay they make themselves very valuable to the farmers by destroying the swarms of young grasshoppers. On the writer’s land the grasshoppers had deposited their eggs by the million. As they began to hatch, the Yellow-heads found them out, and a flock of about two hundred attended about two acres each day, roving over the entire lot as wild pigeons feed, the rear ones flying to the front as the insects were devoured.

Mr. Clark met with these birds at New Leon, Mexico. They were always in flocks, mingled with two or three of its congeneric species. They were found more abundant near the coast than in the interior. There was a roost of these birds on an island in a lagoon near Fort Brown. Between sunset and dark these birds could be seen coming from all quarters. For about an hour they kept up a constant chattering and changing of place. Another similar roost was on an island near the mouth of the Rio Grande.

Dr. Kennerly found them very common near Janos and also near Santa Cruz, in Sonora. At the former place they were seen in the month of April in large flocks. He describes them as quite domestic in their habits, preferring the immediate vicinity of the houses, often feeding with the domestic fowls in the yards.

Dr. Heermann states that these birds collect in flocks of many thousands with the species of _Agelaius_, and on the approach of spring separate into smaller bands, resorting in May to large marshy districts in the valleys, where they incubate. Their nests he found attached to the upright stalks of the reeds, and woven around them, of flexible grasses, differing essentially from the nests of the _Agelaii_ in the lightness of their material. The eggs, always four in number, he describes as having a ground of pale ashy-green, thickly covered with minute dots of a light umber-brown.

Mr. Nuttall states that on the 2d of May, during his western tour, he saw these birds in great abundance, associated with the Cowbird. They kept wholly on the ground, in companies, the sexes separated by themselves. They were digging into the earth with their bills in search of insects and larvæ. They were very active, straddling about with a quaint gait, and now and then whistling out, with great effort, a chuckling note, sounding like _ko-kuk kie-ait_. Their music was inferior even to the harsh notes of _M. pecoris_.

Several nests of this species, procured in the marshes on the banks of Lake Koskonong, in Southern Wisconsin, were sent me by Mr. Kumlien; they were all light, neat, and elegant structures, six inches in diameter and four in height. The cavity had a diameter of three and a depth of two and a half inches. The base, periphery, and the greater portion of these nests were made of interwoven grasses and sedges. The grasses were entire, with their panicles on. They were impacted together in masses. The inner portions of these nests were made of finer materials of the same. They were placed in the midst of large, overflowed marshes, and were attached to tall flags, usually in the midst of clumps of the latter, and these were so close in their growth that the nests were not easily discovered. They contained, usually, from five to six eggs. These are of an oblong-oval shape, and measure 1.02 inches in length by .70 of an inch in breadth. Their ground-color is of a pale greenish-white, profusely covered with blotches and finer dottings of drab, purplish-brown, and umber.

GENUS STURNELLA, VIEILLOT.

_Sturnella_, VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816. (Type, _Alauda magna_, L.)

[Line drawing: _Sturnella magna._
1303]

GEN. CHAR. Body thick, stout; legs large, toes reaching beyond the tail. Tail short, even, with narrow acuminate feathers. Bill slender, elongated; length about three times the height; commissure straight from the basal angle. Culmen flattened basally, extending backwards and parting the frontal feathers; longer than the head, but shorter than tarsus. Nostrils linear, covered by an incumbent membranous scale. Inner lateral toe longer than the outer, but not reaching to basal joint of middle; hind toe a little shorter than the middle, which is equal to the tarsus. Hind claw nearly twice as long as the middle. Feathers of head stiffened and bristly; the shafts of those above extended into a black seta. Tertials nearly equal to the primaries. Feathers above all transversely banded. Beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent.

The only species which we can admit is the _S. magna_, though under this name we group several geographical races. They may be distinguished as follows:—

Species and Varieties.

1. S. magna. Above brownish, or grayish, spotted and barred with black; crown divided by a median whitish stripe; side of the head whitish, with a blackish streak along upper edge of the auriculars. Beneath more or less yellowish, with a more or less distinct dusky crescent on the jugulum. Sides, flanks, and crissum whitish, streaked with dusky; lateral tail-feathers partly white. _Adult._ Supraloral spot, chin, throat, breast, and abdomen deep gamboge-yellow; pectoral crescent deep black. _Young._ The yellow only indicated; pectoral crescent obsolete. Length, about 9.00 to 10.50 inches. Sexes similar in color, but female much smaller.

A. In spring birds, the lateral stripes of the vertex
either continuous black, or with black largely
predominating; the black spots on the back extending to
the tip of the feather, or, if not, the brown tip not
barred (except in winter dress). Yellow of the throat
confined between the maxillæ, or just barely encroaching
upon their lower edge. White of sides, flanks, and crissum
strongly tinged with ochraceous.

_a._ Pectoral crescent much more than half an inch wide.

Wing, 4.50 to 5.00; culmen, 1.20 to 1.50; tarsus, 1.35
to 1.55; middle toe, 1.10 to 1.26 (extremes of a
series of four adult males). Lateral stripe of the
crown continuously black; black predominating on back
and rump (heavy stripes on ochraceous ground). Light
brown serrations on tertials and tail-feathers
reaching nearly to the shaft (sometimes the terminal
ones uninterrupted, isolating the black bars). _Hab._
Eastern United States var. _magna_.

Wing, 3.75 to 4.30; culmen, 1.15 to 1.30; tarsus, 1.50
to 1.75; middle toe, 1.10 to 1.25. (Ten adult males!)
Colors similar, but with a greater predominance of
black; black heavily prevailing on back and rump, and
extending to tip of feathers; also predominates on
tertials and tail-feathers. _Hab._ Mexico and Central
America var. _mexicana_.[31]

Wing, 4.45; culmen, 1.62; tarsus, 1.50; middle toe,
1.20. (One specimen). Colors exactly as in last.
_Hab._ Brazil var. _meridionalis_.[32]

_b._ Pectoral crescent much less than half an inch wide.

Wing, 3.90 to 4.10; culmen, 1.25 to 1.35; tarsus, 1.40
to 1.55; middle toe, 1.00 to 1.20. (Three adult
males.) Colors generally similar to _magna_, but crown
decidedly streaked, though black predominates;
ground-color above less reddish than in either of the
preceding, with markings as in _magna_. Pectoral
crescent about .25 in breadth. _Hab._ Cuba var. _hippocrepis_.[33]

B. In spring birds, crown about equally streaked with
black and grayish; black spots of back occupying only
basal half of feathers, the terminal portion being
grayish-brown, with narrow bars of black; feathers of the
rump with whole exposed portion thus barred. Yellow of the
throat extending over the maxillæ nearly to the angle of
the mouth.

Wing, 4.40 to 5.05; culmen, 1.18 to 1.40; tarsus, 1.30
to 1.45. (Six adult males.) A grayish-brown tint
prevailing above; lesser wing-coverts concolor with
the wings (instead of very decidedly more bluish);
black bars of tertials and tail-feathers clean,
narrow, and isolated. White of sides, flanks, and
crissum nearly pure. _Hab._ Western United States and
Western Mexico var. _neglecta_.

In _magna_ and _neglecta_, the feathers of the pectoral crescent are generally black to the base, their roots being grayish-white; one specimen of the former, however, from North Carolina, has the roots of the feathers yellow, forbidding the announcement of this as a distinguishing character; _mexicana_ may have the bases of these feathers either yellow or grayish; while _hippocrepis_ has only the tips of the feathers black, the whole concealed portion being bright yellow.

In _mexicana_, there is more of an approach to an orange tint in the yellow than is usually seen in _magna_, but specimens from Georgia have a tint not distinguishable; in both, however, as well as in _hippocrepis_, there is a deeper yellow than in _neglecta_, in which the tint is more citreous.

As regards the bars on tertials and tail, there is considerable variation. Sometimes in either of the species opposed to _neglecta_ by this character there is a tendency to their isolation, seen in the last few toward the ends of the feathers; but never is there an approach to that regularity seen in _neglecta_, in which they are isolated uniformly everywhere they occur. Two specimens only (54,064 California and 10,316 Pembina) in the entire series of _neglecta_ show a tendency to a blending of these bars on the tail.

_Magna_, _mexicana_, _meridionalis_ and _hippocrepis_, are most similar in coloration; _neglecta_ is most dissimilar compared with any of the others. Though each possesses peculiar characters, they are only of degree; for in the most widely different forms (_neglecta_ and _mexicana_) there is not the slightest departure from the pattern of coloration; it is only a matter of extension or restriction of the several colors, or a certain one of them, that produces the differences.

Each modification of plumage is attended by a still greater one of proportions, as will be seen from the diagnoses; thus, though _neglecta_ is the largest of the group, it has actually the smallest legs and feet; with nearly the same general proportions, _magna_ exceeds it in the latter respects (especially in the bill), while _mexicana_, a very much smaller bird than either, has disproportionally and absolutely larger legs and feet united with the smallest size otherwise in the whole series. _Meridionalis_ presents no differences from the last, except in proportions of bill and feet; for while the latter is the smallest of the series, next to _neglecta_, it has a bill much exceeding that of any other.

The markings of the upper plumage of the young or even winter birds are different in pattern from those of the adult; the tendency being toward the peculiar features of the adult _neglecta_; the various species in these stages being readily distinguishable, however, by the general characters assigned. _Mexicana_ and _neglecta_ are both in proportions and colors the most widely different in the whole series; _hippocrepis_ and _neglecta_ the most similar. The relation of the several races to each other is about as follows:—

A. Yellow of throat confined within maxillæ.

Crown with black streaks predominating.

Smallest species, with reddish tints, and maximum
amount of black.

Largest bill _meridionalis_.

Smallest bill; largest feet _mexicana_.

Next largest species, with less reddish tints, and
smaller amount of black. Bill and feet the standard of
comparison _magna_.

Crown with the light streaks predominating.

Narrowest pectoral crescent _hippocrepis_.

B. Yellow of throat covering maxillæ.

Crown with black and light streaks about equal.

Largest species, with grayish tints, and minimum
amount of black.

Smallest feet _neglecta_.

[31] _Sturnella mexicana_, SCLATER, Ibis, 1861, 179.

[32] _Sturnella meridionalis_, SCLATER, Ibis, 1861, 179.

[33] _Sturnella hippocrepis_, WAGLER, Ibis, 1832,
281.—LAWR. Ann. N. Y. Lyc. 1860.

Sturnella magna, SWAINSON.

MEADOW LARK; OLD FIELD LARK.

_Alauda magna_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1758, 167, ed. 10 (based on
_Alauda magna_, CATESBY, tab. 33).—IB., (12th ed.,) 1766,
289.—GM. I, 1788, 801.—WILSON, Am. Orn. III, 1811, 20, pl.
xix.—DOUGHTY, Cab. I, 1830, 85, pl. v. _Sturnella magna_,
SWAINSON, Phil. Mag. I, 1827, 436.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858,
535.—SAMUELS, 343. _Sturnus ludovicianus_, LINNÆUS, Syst. Nat.
I, 1766, 290.—GM. I, 802.—LATH. Ind. I, 1790, 323.—BON. Obs.
Wils. 1825, 130.—LICHT. Verz. 1823, No. 165.—AUD. Orn. Biog.
II, 1834, 216; V, 1839, 492, pl. cxxxvi. _Sturnella
ludoviciana_, SWAINSON, F. Bor.-Am. II, 1831, 282.—NUTTALL,
Man. I, 1832, 147.—BON. List, 1838.—IB. Conspectus, 1850,
429.—AUD. Syn. 1839, 148.—IB. Birds Am. IV, 1842, 70, pl.
ccxxiii.—CABANIS, Mus. Hein. 1851, 192.—ALLEN, B. E. Fla.
288. _Sturnella collaris_, VIEILL. Analyse, 1816.—IB. Galerie
des Ois. I, 1824, 134, pl. xc. _Sturnus collaris_, WAGLER,
Syst. Av. 1827, 1.—IB. Isis, 1831, 527. “_Cacicus alaudarius_,
DAUDIN,” CABANIS.

SP. CHAR. The feathers above dark brown, margined with brownish-white, and with a terminal blotch of pale reddish-brown. Exposed portions of wings and tail with dark brown bars, which on the middle tail-feathers are confluent along the shaft. Beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent, the yellow not extending on the side of the maxilla; sides, crissum, and tibiæ pale reddish-brown, streaked with blackish. A light median and superciliary stripe, the latter yellow anterior to the eye; a black line behind. _Female_ smaller and duller. _Young_ with pectoral crescent replaced by streaks; the yellow of under surface replaced more or less by ochraceous or pale fulvous. Length, 10.60; wing, 5.00; tail, 3.70; bill above, 1.35.

HAB. Eastern United States to the high Central Plains, north to Southern British Provinces. England (SCLATER, Ibis, III, 176).

HABITS. The eastern form of the Meadow Lark is found in all the eastern portions of the United States, from Florida to Texas at the south, and from Nova Scotia to the Missouri at the north. Richardson met with it on the Saskatchewan, where it arrives about the first of May. In a large portion of the United States it is resident, or only partially migratory.

In Maine this species is not abundant. A few are found in Southern Maine, even as far to the east as Calais, where it is very rare. It was not found in Oxford County by Mr. Verrill. In New Hampshire and Vermont, especially in the southern portions, it is much more abundant. Throughout Massachusetts it is a common summer visitant, a few remaining all winter, the greater number coming in March and leaving again in November, at which time they seem to be somewhat, though only partially, gregarious. South of Massachusetts it becomes more generally resident, and is only very partially migratory, where the depth of snow compels them to seek food elsewhere. Wilson states that he met a few of these birds in the month of February, during a deep snow, among the heights of the Alleghanies, near Somerset, Penn.

The favorite resorts of this species are old fields, pasture-lands, and meadows, localities in which they can best procure the insects, largely coleopterous, and the seeds on which they feed. They are not found in woods or thickets, or only in very exceptional cases.

In New England they are shy, retiring birds, and are rarely seen in the neighborhood of houses; but in Georgia and South Carolina, Wilson found them swarming among the rice plantations, and running about in the yards and the out-buildings, in company with the Killdeer Plovers, with little or no appearance of fear, and as if domesticated.

In Alabama and West Florida, Mr. Nuttall states, the birds abound during the winter months, and may be seen in considerable numbers in the salt marshes, seeking their food and the shelter of the sea-coast. They are then in loose flocks of from ten to thirty. At this season many are shot and brought to market. By some their flesh is said to be sweet and good; but this is denied by Audubon, who states it to be tough and of unpleasant flavor.

Mr. Sclater records the occurrence of one or more individuals of this species in England.

The song of the eastern Meadow Lark is chiefly distinguished for its sweetness more than any other excellence. When, in spring, at the height of their love-season, they alight on the post of a fence, a bush, or tree, or any other high object, they will give utterance to notes that, in sweetness and tenderness of expression, are surpassed by very few of our birds. But they are wanting in variety and power, and are frequently varied, but not improved, by the substitution of chattering call-notes, which are much inferior in quality. It is noticeable that at the West there is a very great improvement in the song of this bird as compared with that of their more eastern kindred, though still very far from equalling, either in volume, variety, or power, the remarkable song of the _neglecta_.

In the fall of the year these birds collect in small companies, and feed together in the same localities, but keeping, individually, somewhat apart.

In New England these birds mate during the latter part of April, and construct their nests in May. They always place their nest on the ground, usually in the shelter of a thick tuft of grass, and build a covered passage to their hidden nest. This entrance is usually formed of withered grass, and so well conceals the nest that it can only be detected by flushing the female from it, or by the anxiety of her mate, who will frequently fly round the spot in so narrow a circuit as to betray its location.

The eggs of the Meadow Lark vary greatly in size and also in their markings, though the general character of the latter is the same. The smallest, from Florida, measure .95 by .68 of an inch. The largest, from Massachusetts, measure 1.20 inches by .90. They have a white ground, marked and dotted with irregular reddish-brown spots. Generally these are equally distributed, but occasionally are chiefly about the larger end. Their shape is oval, nearly equally rounded at either end.

The diversity in the characteristics of the eggs of this species has not unfrequently occasioned remarks, and even suggested conjectures as to specific differences. They are all, however, reconcilable with differences in the age of the parents, and are, to some extent, affected by the circumstances under which they are deposited. The eggs of old, mature birds, deposited in the early summer, or the first brood, are usually sub-globular or obtusely pointed at either end, large in size, and irregularly sprinkled over with fine bright red dots. Younger birds, breeding for the first time, birds that have been robbed of their eggs, or those depositing a third set, have smaller eggs, sometimes two thirds of the maximum size, more oblong and more pointed at one end, and are marked, at the larger end only, with plashes of dark purplish-brown.

Sturnella magna, var. neglecta, AUD.

WESTERN LARK.

_Sturnella neglecta_, AUD. Birds Am. VII, 1843, 339, pl.
cccclxxxvii.—NEWBERRY, Zoöl. Cal. & Or. Route; Rep. P. R. R.
Surv. VI, IV, 1857, 86.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 537.—HEERM.
X, S, 54.—COOPER & SUCKLEY, 208.—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870,
270. _? Sturnella hippocrepis_, (WAGLER,) HEERMANN, J. A. N.
Sc. Ph. 2d series, II, 1853, 269, Suisun.

SP. CHAR. Feathers above dark brown, margined with brownish-white, with a terminal blotch of pale reddish-brown. Exposed portion of wings and tail with transverse bands, which, in the latter, are completely isolated from each other, narrow and linear. Beneath yellow, with a black pectoral crescent. The yellow of the throat extending on the sides of the maxilla. Sides, crissum, and tibiæ very pale reddish-brown, or nearly white, streaked with blackish. Head with a light median and superciliary stripe, the latter yellow in front of the eye; a blackish line behind it. The transverse bars on the feathers above (less so on the tail) with a tendency to become confluent near the exterior margin. Length, 10 inches; wing, 5.25; tail, 3.25; bill, 1.25.

HAB. Western America from high Central Plains to the Pacific; east to Pembina, and perhaps to Wisconsin, on the north (Iowa, Allen), and Texas on the south; western Mexico, south to Colima.

HABITS. The differences of plumage between this species and our eastern Meadow Lark are so slight that we might hesitate to allow the existence of any specific distinctness between the two forms, were it not for the very strongly marked differences between them in other respects. Whether we regard them as races or as different species, their history diverges as we cross the Missouri River, though both are found on either bank.

The existence of this variety was first made known by Messrs. Lewis and Clark, in their memorable expedition to the Rocky Mountains. They refer especially to the difference, in the notes, between this bird and the old Field Lark of the east. It remained unnoticed by our ornithologists until 1844, when Mr. Audubon included it in the appendix to his seventh volume. He met with it in his voyage to the Yellowstone, and it would have escaped his notice had not the attention of his party been called to its curious notes. In its flight, manners on the ground, or general habits, he could perceive no difference between it and the common species. None of its nests that he found were covered over, in the manner of the _magna_, and the eggs were differently marked.

Mr. J. A. Allen, in his interesting paper on the birds observed in Western Iowa, while he does not admit any specific difference between these two forms, presents with impartial exactness the very striking dissimilarity between them, both in habits and in song. In regard to the diversity in habits we quote his words:—

“At the little village of Denison, where I first noticed it in
song, it was particularly common, and half domestic in its
habits, preferring the streets and grassy lanes, and the
immediate vicinity of the village, to the remoter prairie. Here,
wholly unmolested and unsuspicious, it collected its food; and
the males, from their accustomed perches on the housetops, daily
warbled their wild songs for hours together.” These traits of
familiarity, so totally different from anything ever observed in
our eastern birds, he does not concede, however, as establishing
necessarily specific difference. Yet he does admit that its song
was so new to him that he did not at first have the slightest
suspicion that its utterer was the western Meadow Lark, as he
found it to be. He adds: “It differs from that of the Meadow Lark
in the Eastern States, in the notes being louder and wilder, and
at the same time more liquid, mellower, and far sweeter. They
have a pensiveness and a general character remarkably in harmony
with the half-dreamy wildness of the primitive prairie, as though
the bird had received from its surroundings their peculiar
impress. It differs, too, in the less frequency of the harsh,
complaining chatter so conspicuous in the eastern bird.”

The value of these marked differences, both in song and character, between the eastern and western birds, we will not argue, but will only add that they are none too strikingly presented by Mr. Allen. During the writer’s brief visit to the Plains he was strongly impressed by the natural, confiding trustfulness of this species and its wonderful beauty of song, both in such remarkable contrast with the habits of our eastern birds. At Antelope Station a pair of these birds had built their nest under the window of the office, and seemed to enjoy the society of the family, while the depot-master, familiar with the song and habits of our eastern birds, appreciated the great differences between the two forms, and called my attention to them.

Mr. Allen also found this Lark everywhere abundant in Colorado, but its notes appeared to him quite different from those of the representatives of this species living to the eastward, in the prairie States, being less varied and ringing, and more guttural.

Dr. Cooper says this bird is abundant in California, and resident nearly throughout the entire State, breeding in the Colorado Valley and in all other districts not quite waterless. Their songs are lively, sweet, and varied. They sing at all seasons, early and late, from the ground, from the tree-top, or in the air, and when unmolested are so tame as to make the house-top their favorite perch. Even the female has considerable musical power, and cheers her mate by singing to him while he relieves her by sitting on the eggs. She also has a harsh, petulant chirp, frequently repeated as if in anger. He states that they build their nest in a slight depression under a bunch of grass, and usually more or less arched over and artfully concealed. The female, when flushed, usually skulks off some distance before she flies. The eggs he describes as white, with a few large purplish-brown blotches and dots towards the larger end, and measuring 1.15 inches by .85. They are very obtuse in shape.

They feed chiefly on insects, seeds, and grain, do no damage to the crops, and destroy a vast number of noxious insects.

Dr. Suckley found this bird common everywhere in Oregon and Washington Territory, some remaining throughout every winter. In 1855 a few were seen at Fort Dalles as early as March 5. On the 7th he found them quite abundant on the ploughed fields near Fort Vancouver. Some of these had probably remained all the winter. In February, 1856, he found them quite abundant at Fort Steilacoom. At Fort Dalles, by the 2d of May, he obtained young birds nearly fledged.

Mr. Dresser found it very common during winter near San Antonio, where a few remain to breed.

In Arizona, according to Dr. Coues, it is resident, but quite rare.

Lieutenant Couch found these birds from the Rio Grande to the high bottoms of the Lower Bolson de Mapimi. Its notes he speaks of as highly musical, contending even with the Mocking Bird for a supremacy in song.

Mr. Ridgway found the western Meadow Lark one of the most abundant and characteristic birds of California and all fertile portions of the interior as far east as the Missouri, and remarks that, although closely resembling the eastern bird in appearance, its song is totally different, not a note uttered by it having more than a very distant resemblance to any of the well-known _magna_ of the eastern meadows. In the depth of its tone and the charms of its articulation its song is hardly excelled, resembling very nearly the song of the Wood Thrush. Mr. Ridgway describes its modulations as expressed by the syllables _tung-tung-tungah-til’lah-til’lah-tung_, each note powerful and distinct. The difference between the other notes of the two birds is still greater than in their song, and even in character these are not alike. In the _neglecta_ the call-note of watchfulness or alarm is a loud, deep-toned _tuck_, similar to the _chuck_ of the Blackbird, but much louder and more metallic. That of sympathy for the young, or anxiety when the nest is approached, is a loud, liquid _tyur_, slightly resembling the complaining note of the eastern Bluebird, and also of the Orchard Oriole. All of its notes are of a power corresponding to the size of the bird.

Mr. Ridgway also notices important differences in their flight. That of the eastern species is carried on by an occasional spasmodic beat or jerk of the wings, which are then extended, the bird sailing a short distance. The flight of the western Lark is much more irregular, the bird flitting along by a trembling flutter of the wings, never assuming these peculiar features.

An egg of this species, collected by Dr. Cooper in Washington Territory, June 19, 1856, measures 1.20 inches in length and .86 in breadth. It is of an oblong-oval shape, obtuse; the ground white, sparingly spotted with a very dark purple, most of the markings being at the larger end. Three eggs from Arizona, collected by Dr. Palmer, measure 1.10 inches by .80. The markings are of much lighter shades of lilac, purple, and purplish and reddish-brown. The markings are more generally diffused, but predominate at the larger end. An egg from the Yellowstone, collected by Mr. Audubon, is unusually pointed at one end, measures 1.13 inches by .82. The spots are a dark purplish-brown, intermingled with smaller and lighter dottings of reddish-brown. Eggs from California do not vary essentially in their markings from those of Arizona, and have an average measurement of 1.10 inches by .85. As a general rule, the mottling of the eggs of the western bird is finer than that of the eastern.

SUBFAMILY ICTERINÆ.

GENUS ICTERUS, AUCT.

_Icterus_, BRISSON, R. A. 1760.—GRAY, Genera.
_Xanthornus_, CUVIER, Leç. Anat. Comp. 1800.—GRAY, Genera.
_Pendulinus_, VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816.
_Yphantes_, VIEILLOT, Analyse, 1816.—GRAY, Genera.

GEN. CHAR. Bill slender, elongated, as long as the head, generally a little decurved, and very acute. Tarsi not longer than the middle toe, nor than the head; claws short, much curved; outer lateral toe a little longer than the inner, reaching a little beyond base of middle toe. Feet adapted for perching. Tail rounded or graduated. Prevailing colors yellow or orange, and black.

The species of this subfamily are all as strikingly characterized by diversity and brilliancy of plumage as the others are (with few exceptions) for their uniform sombre black, scarcely relieved by other colors. Of the four genera of this subfamily, recognized by Gray, all but _Cacicus_ are well represented in the United States. This differs from all the rest in having the culmen widened and much depressed towards the base, where it advances in a crescent on the forehead, separating the frontal plumes. In the other genera the culmen advances somewhat on the forehead, but it is in a narrow acute point, and not dilated.

[Line drawing: _Icterus bullocki._
6721]

In studying the North American Orioles we have found it exceedingly difficult to arrange them in any sharply defined sections, as whatever characters be taken as the basis of classification, the other features will not correspond. Thus, species with the bill of the same proportions and amount of curvature differ in the shape and graduation of the tail, while tails of the same form are accompanied by entirely dissimilar bills and wings. The bill is sometimes much attenuated and decurved, as in _I. cucullatus_, while in _melanocephalus_ and _baltimore_ it is stouter and straighter. The tail is usually much graduated; in _I. baltimore_ and _bullocki_ it is only moderately rounded. These last-mentioned species constitute the genus _Hyphantes_. Many of the species have a naked space round the eye, very evident in _I. vulgaris_, less so in _melanocephalus_. _I. vulgaris_ is peculiar in having the feathers of the throat pointed and lanceolate, as in the ravens.

In view of the difficulties attendant upon the definition of subordinate groups among the United States _Icterinæ_, we propose to consider them all under the single genus _Icterus_, leaving it for some one with more ingenuity to establish satisfactory divisions into sub-genera.[34]

The colors of the Orioles are chiefly black and yellow, or orange, the wing sometimes marked with white. The females are generally much duller in plumage, and the young male usually remains in immature dress till the third year. In all the North American species the rump is of the same color with the belly; the chin, throat, and tail, black.

In the North American Orioles the _baltimore_ and _bullocki_ have the tail but little graduated; _spurius_, more so; the others very decidedly graduated. The bills of the two first mentioned are stout and nearly straight; that of _I. melanocephalus_ quite similar. _I. parisorum_ has the bill more attenuated, but scarcely more decurved; in _spurius_ it is attenuated and decurved, much as in _wagleri_; this character is strongest in _I. cucullatus_. The much graduated tail is combined with a slender decurved bill in _I. cucullatus_ and _wagleri_; with a straighter one in _parisorum_; with a thick, nearly straight, one in _melanocephalus_. The arrangement, according to the graduation of the tail, would be _baltimore_, _bullocki_, _spurius_, _parisorum_, _wagleri_, _melanocephalus_, and _cucullatus_. According to stoutness and curvature of bill, it would be _baltimore_, _melanocephalus_, _bullocki_, _parisorum_, _spurius_, _wagleri_, and _cucullatus_.

All the species have the rump and under parts yellow or orange. All have the head entirely black, except _bullocki_, in which its sides are orange, and _cucullatus_, which has an orange crown. All have black on the throat. In the species with black head and neck, all have the tails black towards the end, except _bullocki_ and _baltimore_.

The females and young males are so entirely different in colors from the adult males, and so similar in the different species, that they can best be distinguished by the details of form and size. The _I. prosthemelas_ and _I. melanocephalus_ are placed, according to the above arrangement, in different subgenera, yet the young male of the former and the adult male of the latter are so perfectly similar in colors as to be undistinguishable in this respect, and require careful examination of points of external structure to be separated (see description of _I. melanocephalus_, p. 782).

The following synopsis may help to distinguish the North American Orioles and their nearest allies, as far as color is concerned.

[34] An attempt at division into subgenera is as follows:—

_Icterus_, bill stout, conical, the culmen and gonys nearly
straight. Tail graduated. Species: _vulgaris_, _auduboni_,
_melanocephalus_.

_Xanthornus_, bill slender, slightly decurved. Tail
graduated. Species: _wagleri_, _parisorum_, _spurius_,
_cucullatus_.

_Hyphantes_, bill stout, conical; the culmen and gonys
straight. Tail slightly rounded. Species: _baltimore_,
_bullocki_, _abeillei_.

We do not find, however, that these subgenera are very
tangible, excepting _Hyphantes_, which is rather well marked
by square tail and straight outlines of the bill, as
indicated above. The differences are really so minute, and
the characters so variable with the species, that it seems
entirely unnecessary to subdivide the genus.

Species and Varieties.

ICTERUS. Head all round deep black, sharply defined
against the yellow of the nape; wings black, with or
without white markings. Body generally, including lesser
wing-coverts, deep greenish-yellow (intense orange-red in
some South American species).

I. vulgaris. Feathers of the throat elongated and
lanceolate. Bill longer than head. Back and scapulars
black; greater coverts and tertials with much white on
outer webs; middle wing-coverts white. Rest of plumage,
including lesser coverts, chrome-yellow. Sexes alike.
_Hab._ Northern South America. Jamaica? Accidental in
southeastern United States? ? Several races.

I. melanocephalus. Feathers of the throat not elongate
and lanceolate, but soft and normal; bill shorter than
head. Back and scapulars greenish-yellow. Rest of
plumage, including lesser wing-coverts, gamboge-yellow.
Sexes alike.

Wings without any white. Wing, 4.00; tail, 4.00;
culmen, .95; tarsus, .96. _Hab._ Southern Mexico
var. _melanocephalus_.

Wings with white edgings to greater coverts,
secondaries and tertials. Wing, 4.25; tail, 4.40;
culmen, 1.10; tarsus, 1.10. _Hab._ Northern Mexico and
Rio Grande Valley of United States var. _auduboni_.

XANTHORNUS. Back, scapulars, wings, tail, and throat,
black; wings and tail with, or without, white. Rest of
plumage greenish-yellow, gamboge-yellow, orange,
orange-red, or chestnut-rufous.

A. Head and neck, all round, deep black.

_a._ Tail-feathers wholly black.

I. dominicensis. Head, neck, back, scapulars, wings,
tail, and jugulum, deep black; lesser and middle
wing-coverts, lining of the wing, anal region,
tibiæ, and rump, deep gamboge-yellow. No white on
wings or tail. Sexes similar (in all the races?).

_Abdomen and sides yellow._

Tail-coverts partially or wholly yellow. Wing,
3.25 to 3.50; Tail, 3.75 to 4.00; culmen, .80;
tarsus, .85. _Hab._ South Mexico to Costa Rica
var. _prosthemelas_.[35]

Tail-coverts uniform black. Wing, 3.75; tail,
4.50; culmen, .80; tarsus, .90. _Hab._ Mexico and
Guatemala var. _wagleri_.

_Abdomen and sides black._

Flanks and crissum yellow; upper tail-coverts
yellow. Wing, 3.50; tail, 3.50; culmen, .80;
tarsus, .85. _Hab._ Hayti var. _dominicensis_.[36]

Flanks black; crissum mostly yellow; upper
tail-coverts black. Wing, 3.75; tail, 4.00;
culmen, .93; tarsus, .85. _Hab._ Porto Rico
var. _portoricensis_.[37]

Flanks black; crissum mostly black; upper
tail-coverts black. Wing, 3.75; tail, 3.90;
culmen, .80; tarsus, 86. _Hab._ Cuba var. _hypomelas_.[38]

I. spurius. Head, neck, back, scapulars, wings, and
tail, deep black; other portions, including lesser
and middle wing-coverts, lining of wing, and the
tail-coverts, above and below, chestnut-rufous;
greater coverts and secondaries edged with dull
white, and tail-feathers margined terminally with
the same. _Female_ greenish-yellow, darker above.
_Young male_ in second year similar, but with a
black patch covering face and throat. Wing, 3.20;
tail, 3.20, its graduation, .45; culmen, .73;
tarsus, .92. _Hab._ Eastern Province of United
States; south throughout Middle America, to New
Granada.

_b._ Tail-feathers (except the two middle ones) with
their basal half yellow.

I. parisorum. Head, neck, jugulum, back, scapulars,
wings, and terminal half of tail, deep black; rest
of plumage, including lesser and middle
wing-coverts, bright lemon-yellow, approaching white
on the middle coverts; greater coverts tipped with
white, and tertials edged with the same;
tail-feathers margined terminally with the same.
Sexes very different. _Hab._ Mexico; Rio Grande
Valley and Cape St. Lucas.

B. Crown, occiput, nape, and auriculars, orange;
frontlet, lores, cheeks, chin, throat, and jugulum, deep
black.

I. cucullatus. Back, scapulars, wings, and tail, and
patch covering jugulum and throat, extending up over
lores, around eyes and across frontlet, deep black.
Other portions orange. Sexes very different.

Lesser coverts black; middle coverts white; greater
coverts tipped with white, and secondaries,
primaries, and tertials edged with the same;
tail-feathers with narrow white tips. Wing, 3.30;
tail, 4.00; culmen, .80; tarsus, .90. Sexes very
unlike. _Hab._ Southern border of Western United
States (San Bernardino, California, Camp Grant,
Arizona and Rio Grande of Texas), south through
Mexico to Guatemala; Cape St. Lucas var. _cucullatus_.

Lesser coverts gamboge-yellow; middle coverts
yellow; no white on wings or tail. Wing, 3.50; tail,
3.90; culmen, .85; tarsus, .90. _Hab._ New Granada,
Venezuela, and Trinidad var. _auricapillus_.[39]

HYPHANTES. Crown, back, scapulars, wings, and part of
tail, deep black; wing with much white. Other portions
orange or yellow. Sexes very different.

I. baltimore. Head entirely deep black; tail orange, the
feathers black at base; greater coverts broadly tipped
with white; secondaries and primaries skirted with the
same. Other portions rich, mellow orange, the rump as
intense as the breast. Wing, about 3.75; tail, 3.50;
culmen, .80; tarsus, .97.

(Specimens from Eastern United States and Middle
America with middle coverts deep orange.)

(Specimens from the Plains of Kansas, Nebraska, etc.,
with middle coverts pure white. Some eastern specimens
similar.)

I. bullocki. Head mainly black, with an orange or yellow
superciliary stripe, and a broader one beneath the eye,
cutting off the black of the throat into a narrow strip;
tail orange or yellow, the feathers with black at ends;
greater coverts with outer webs wholly white, and middle
coverts entirely white, producing a large conspicuous
longitudinal patch on the wing; tertials and secondaries
broadly edged with white, and primaries more narrowly
skirted with the same. Other portions rich orange or
yellow.

Rump grayish-orange; sides and flanks deep orange;
forehead and auriculars orange; a broad supraloral
stripe of the same. Xanthic tints deep orange, with a
reddish tinge on the breast. Wings, 4.00; tail, 3.50;
culmen, .80; tarsus, .90. _Hab._ Western Province of
United States var. _bullocki_.

Rump black; sides and flanks black; forehead and
auriculars black; no yellow or orange supraloral
stripes. Xanthic tint a very intense gamboge, without
any shade of orange. Wing, 4.00; tail, 3.50; culmen,
.75; tarsus, .85. _Hab._ Mexico var. _abeillei_.[40]

[35] _Icterus dominicensis_, var. _prosthemelas_. _Icterus
prosthemelas_, STRICKLAND, Jard. Cont. Orn. 1850, 120, pl.
lxii. _Pendulinus p._ CASSIN, Icteridæ, P. A. N. S. 1867,
56. _Pendulinus lessoni_, BONAP. Consp. I, 432, 1850.

[36] _Icterus dominicensis_, var. _dominicensis_. _Oriolus
dominicensis_, LINN. S. N. I, 163, 1766. _Pendulinus d._
CASSIN. P. A. N. S. 1867, 58. _Pendulinus flavigaster_,
VIEILL. Nouv. Dict. V, 317, 1816. _Pendulinus viridis_,
VIEILL. Nouv. Dict. V, 321, 1816?

[37] _Icterus dominicensis_, var. _portoricensis_, BRYANT,
Pr. Bost. Soc. 1866, 254. _Pendulinus portoricensis_, CASS.
P. A. N. S. 1867, 58. _Turdus ater_, GM. S. N. I, 830, 1788?
_Turdus jugularis_, LATH. Ind. Orn. I, 351, 1790?

[38] _Icterus dominicensis_, var. _hypomelas_. _Pendulinus
hypomelas_, BONAP. Consp. I, 433, 1850.—CASS. P. A. N. S.
1867, 59.

There seems to be no reason for not referring all the above
forms to one species, the differences being merely in the
relative amount of black and yellow. The greater
predominance of the former color we should expect in
specimens from the West Indies, where in this family the
melanistic tendency is so marked.

[39] _Icterus cucullatus_, var. _auricapillus_. _Icterus
auricapillus_, CASS. P. A. N. S. 1847, 382.—IB. Journ. A.
N. S. I, pl. xvi, f. 2.—IB. P. A. N. S. 1867, 60.

[40] _Icterus bullocki_, var. _abeillei_. _Xanthornus
abeillei_, LESS. Rev. Zoöl. 1839, 101. _Hyphantes a._ CASS.
P. A. N. S. 1867, 62. _? Oriolus costototl_, GM. Syst. Nat.
I, 385, 1788.

The only essential difference from _I. bullocki_ is in the
greater amount of black, it being merely more extended,
while the pattern is the same.

Icterus vulgaris, DAUDIN.

TROUPIAL.

_Oriolus icterus_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 161. _Icterus
vulgaris_, “Daudin.”—AUD. Birds Am. VII, 1844, 357, pl.
ccccxcix.—BP. Conspectus Av. 1850, 434.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am.
1858, 542.—CASS. P. A. N. S. 1867, 46. _Le troupiale
vulgaire_, BUFFON, Pl. enl. “532” (535, BP.).

SP. CHAR. Bill curved. Throat and chin with narrow pointed feathers. A naked space around and behind the eye. Tail-feathers graduated. Head and upper part of neck all round, and beneath from tail to upper part of breast, interscapular region of back, wings, and tail, black. Rest of under parts, a collar on the lower hind neck, rump, and upper tail-coverts, yellow-orange. A broad band on the wing and outer edges of secondaries, white. Length, 10 inches; wing, 4.50; tail, 4.50; bill above, 1.35.

HAB. Northern South America and West Indies? Accidental on the southern coast of the United States?

This is the largest Oriole said to be found in the United States, and differs from the rest in its longer bill, and pointed, elongated feathers on the throat. The bill is attenuated, and somewhat decurved. The third quill is longest, the first quill almost the shortest of all the primaries. The outer tail-feather is about .60 of an inch less than the middle.

There is only a trace of whitish on the edges of the primaries. The broad white edges to the secondaries are continuous in the folded wing with the white on the greater coverts, the lowest row of which, however, is black. The extreme and concealed base of the tail is white.

One specimen has the light markings yellow, instead of orange.

This species is given by Mr. Audubon as North American, on the strength of occasional stragglers from South America. One of the specimens before us was received from Mr. Audubon (2,842), and is, possibly, North American, although we doubt very much whether the species was ever taken within our limits, except as escaped from captivity.

An allied race (_I. longirostris_) from New Grenada has a longer and more slender bill, and a paler, lemon-yellow color. The _I. aurantius_ of Brazil lacks the long, pointed, distinct feathers of the throat, and is of an intensely rich orange-red color, with much the same pattern as the present bird.

HABITS. The common Troupial of South America and some of the West India Islands is probably only an imported species, or an accidental visitant. It is given by Mr. Audubon in the appendix to his seventh volume, on the strength of a specimen shot in Charleston, S. C., by his son, John W. The bird, when first seen, was perched on the point of the lightning-rod of Dr. Bachman’s house. A few days after others were seen, one of which was shot, though it fell into the river and was lost. Mr. Audubon was afterwards informed that small groups of four or five subsequently made their appearance in the same city and among the islands. If his information was correct, it precludes the supposition that those which have been procured are caged birds. Yet the Troupial is so common and so popular a bird in the cage, that its accidental occurrence is possible in many localities it never visits of its own accord.

This bird is common in all the northern countries of South America, Venezuela, Guiana, Rio Negro, Northern Brazil, etc. Its occurrence in Jamaica and the West Indies may be only accidental. It is said by Daudin to be a common species in South America, where it associates in large flocks, and constructs a large and pensile nest. In confinement it becomes very easily tamed, is reconciled to a life of imprisonment, and is very fond of those who feed and care for it. It has a loud, clear, and ringing whistle, and a great variety of call-notes and single or brief utterances, but rarely indulges in a continuous song. One kept in confinement several years answered readily to the name of _Troopy_, and always promptly responded, when thus addressed by his mistress, in notes of unmistakable and affectionate recognition. He was very fond of his liberty, and used his sharp bill with such effect that it was difficult to keep him in his cage. When at large he never attempted to escape, but returned upon being called. He, however, acquired such a mortal antipathy to children, attacked them so fiercely when at large, and his sharp bill was so dangerous a weapon, that it was found very necessary to keep him a close prisoner.

The eggs of this species measure 1.02 inches in length by .88 of an inch in breadth; they are a rounded, obtuse oval in shape. Their ground-color is a reddish-drab, and they are very generally blotched with markings of a deep claret-brown and faint purple, the markings being deeper and larger at one end.

Icterus melanocephalus, var. auduboni, GIRAUD.

AUDUBON’S ORIOLE.

_Icterus auduboni_, GIRAUD, Sixteen New Species Texas Birds, 1841
(not paged).—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 542.—CASSIN, Pr. A. N.
S. 1867, 53. _Xanthornus melanocephalus_, BON. Consp. 1850, 434
(not the description of the young). _Icterus melanocephalus_,
CASSIN, Ill. I, V, 1854, 137, pl. xxi (the description, but
perhaps not the figure).

SP. CHAR. Bill stout; upper and lower outlines very little curved downwards. Tail much graduated. Head and neck all round (this color extending down on the throat), tail, and wings black; rest of body, under wing-coverts, and middle and lesser upper coverts, yellow; more olivaceous on the back. An interrupted band across the ends of the greater wing-coverts, with the terminal half of the edges of the quills, white. Supposed female similar, but the colors less vivid. Length, 9.25; wing, 4.00; tail, 4.65; tarsus, 1.10.

HAB. Valley of the Lower Rio Grande of Texas, southward; Oaxaca (SCL. 1859, 38); Xalapa (SCL. 132); Vera Cruz (temperate regions; SUMICHRAST, M. B. S.).

This bird is perhaps rather a local race (larger as more boreal) of _I. melanocephalus_[41] of Southern Mexico. The differences are indicated in the foot-note.

The adult male of this species can be distinguished from the young male of _I. prosthemelas_ only by stouter and less decurved bill, stronger feet, and black instead of yellow middle wing-coverts.

HABITS. This handsome and rather recent addition to our fauna is a Northern Mexican species, which extends north to the valley of the Rio Grande and into Texas, from various localities in which it has been procured. Lt. D. N. Couch, who found this species common from the Lower Rio Grande to the Sierra Madre, speaks of the strong mutual attachment shown by the sexes. He describes its song as soft and melancholy, and the notes as resembling _peut-pou-it_. The sweetness of its notes renders it a favorite as a caged bird. In the State of Vera Cruz this bird is given by Sumichrast as inhabiting the temperate regions, and as there having exclusively their centre of propagation. They are very common in the district of Orizaba, where they breed. Their common name is _Calandria_, a name also given, without discrimination, to four or five other species of _Icteri_ common in Vera Cruz. Mr. Pease, in 1847, observed either this species or the _melanocephalus_ at Jalapa, and in the neighborhood of the city of Mexico, in considerable numbers. This bird was first described and brought to notice as belonging to our fauna, by Mr. Giraud, in 1841. Since then, Mr. John H. Clark, zoölogist on the Mexican Boundary Survey, obtained several specimens from the Lower Rio Grande. It was first seen by him near Ringgold Barracks. It was not abundant, and its quiet manners and secluded habits prevented it from being very conspicuous. It was most frequently observed by him feeding on the fruit of the hackberry, but whenever approached, while thus feeding, it always showed signs of uneasiness, and soon after sought refuge in some place of greater concealment.

Usually pairs were to be seen keeping close together, apparently preferring the thick foliage found on the margin of ponds, or in the old bed of the river. They did not communicate with each other by any note, and Mr. Clark was struck with their remarkable silence. Their habits seemed to him very different from those of any other Oriole with which he was acquainted.

From the papers of Lieutenant Couch, quoted by Mr. Cassin, we learn that these birds were seen by him, March 3, at Santa Rosalio, eight leagues from Matamoras. They were in pairs, and both sexes were very shy and secluded, seeking insects on the prickly pear, or among the low mimosa-trees, seeming to be never at rest, but ever on the lookout for their favorite food.

While at Charco Escondido, farther in the interior of Tamaulipas, Lieutenant Couch met with a pair of these birds, and having brought down the male bird with his gun, the female flew to a neighboring tree, apparently unaware of her loss. She soon, however, observed his fall, and endeavored to recall him to her side with notes uttered in a strain of such exquisite sadness that he could scarcely believe them uttered by a bird; and so greatly did they excite his sympathy, that he almost resolved to desist from further ornithological collections. He adds that he never heard the lay of any songster of the feathered tribe expressed more sweetly than that of the present species. At Monterey he found it a favorite cage-bird. The female also sings, but her notes are less powerful than those of the male. Generally the flight of this bird was low and rapid, and it seemed to prefer the shade of trees. It was observed almost invariably in pairs, and the male and female showed for each other great tenderness and solicitude.

The eggs of this species measure .90 of an inch in length by .70 in breadth. Their ground-color is a light drab or a dull purplish-white, scattered over which are faint markings of a subdued purple, blending imperceptibly with the ground, and above these markings are dots and irregular zigzag lines of dark brown, and darker purple, almost running into black.