Again we portray an inhabitant of the land of the Mesquite and Mimosa. This handsome, though plain Oriole, when compared with some of its brilliant relatives of the same countries, is found throughout nearly the whole of Mexico, and extends its range northwardly into Texas and New Mexico. Mr. Pease, who accompanied the Army of the United States under General Scott, in Mexico, in 1847, observed it at Jalapa, and in the neighborhood of the city of Mexico, in considerable numbers.
As a bird of Texas, this species was first brought to notice by Mr. Jacob P. Giraud, Jr., of New York, who received it in a collection of birds from that State, in 1834, and published a description of it in his “New Species of North American Birds,” p. 1 (1841). Since that time it has been found within the limits of the United States by several naturalists, but especially by Mr. John H. Clark, who, while attached as zoologist to the commission for running the boundary line between the United States and Mexico, neglected no opportunity of making investigations which have contributed much to the natural history of the regions necessarily passed through, and whose collection contained specimens of this species. To Mr. Clark we are indebted for the following note respecting this species:
“Approaching the lower Rio Grande from New Mexico, the Black-headed Oriole was first seen near Ringgold Barracks, but not in abundance; and, although of rich plumage, its quiet manners and secluded habits prevented it from being very conspicuous. It was noticed most frequently while feeding on the fruit of the hackberry; but whenever exposed in picking off the berries, it always showed signs of uneasiness, and would immediately seek refuge in places affording greater concealment.
“Usually, pairs were to be seen keeping close together, and they seemed to prefer the thick foliage which occurs on the margins of the ponds or in the old bed of the river. They did not appear to communicate with each other by any note; indeed, I was struck with their silence, though my opportunities for observation were limited. Their habits seemed to be very different from those of any other Oriole with which I am acquainted.”
This observation, by so accurate and careful an observer as Mr. Clark, deserves especial attention. It is quite probable that this bird is the type of a distinct group or sub-genus.
In the papers of Lieut. Couch, most kindly placed by him at our disposal, we find the following in relation to the bird now before us:—
“The Black-headed Oriole was seen for the first time on the third of March, 1853, at Santa Rosalio rancho, eight leagues west of Matamoras. It had paired, and both male and female were very shy and secluded, seeking insects on the nopal (a species of prickly pear), or among the low mimosa trees, never seeming to be at rest, but constantly on the look-out for their favorite food.
“At Charco Escondido, farther in the interior of Tamaulipas, this bird was well known to the rancheros, who were disposed to give it a bad reputation, stating that it often came to the rancho to steal the freshly-slaughtered beef, hung up to dry in the sun. Whether this was true or not, I had no opportunity of ascertaining; but my acquaintance with the Black-headed Oriole, at this place, I have a particular reason for remembering. Early one morning, an old man, who had daily called on me, with his wife and six nude pickaninnies, presented himself, and wished as usual to take me to a spot where great numbers of rare birds were to be found. Gladly assenting, we were out of sight of the rancho at sunrise of one of the magnificent mornings only known in tropical latitudes. It was the day after a severe norther, and the whole feathered kingdom was in motion. My guide soon called my attention to two calandrias, as these birds are called by the Mexicans, which were quietly but actively seeking their breakfast. The male having been brought down by my gun, the female flew to a neighboring tree, apparently not having observed his fall; soon, however, she became aware of her loss, and endeavored to recall him to her side with a simple pout pou-it, uttered in a strain of such exquisite sadness, that I could scarcely believe such notes to be produced by a bird, and so greatly did they excite my sympathy, that I felt almost resolved to desist from making further collections in natural history, which was one of the principal objects of my journey into the country.
“Another species that takes the place of this bird, west of Monterey, has a more powerful, varied, and artistic song, but I have never heard the lay of any songster of the feathered tribe expressed more sweetly than that of the present Oriole. At Monterey, it is a favorite cage-bird. The notes of the male are more powerful than those of the female.
“My stay in Mexico was not sufficiently protracted to enable me to study the habits of this interesting bird as fully as I could have wished. Generally, its flight is 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 much tenderness and solicitude. If one strayed from the other, a soft pou-it, soon brought them again together.”