[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.
[41] Icterus melanocephalus, Gray. Psarocolius melanocephalus, Wagler, Isis, 1829, 756. Icterus melanocephalus, Gray, Genera.—Sclater, Pr. Zoöl. Soc. 1858, 97.—Cassin, Pr. A. N. S. 1867, 53.—Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 543. Xanthornus melanocephalus, Bon. Consp. 1850, 434 (description of young only). ? Icterus graduacauda, Lesson, Rev. Zoöl. 1839, 105.
Sp. Char. Similar to I. auduboni, but without any white whatever on the wing. Head and neck all round, wings, scapulars, and tail, uniform pure black. Rest of body, including inside of wing and tibia and the lesser wing-coverts, orange-yellow; clouded with olivaceous-green on the back, less so on the rump. Bill and legs plumbeous, the former whitish at base. Length, 7.70; wing, 3.75; tail, 4.80. Hab. Warm parts of Mexico.
Very like the auduboni, but smaller, the bill much stouter, shorter, and the culmen more curved. The third quill is longest; the fourth, fifth, and second successively a little shorter; the first and seventh about equal. The black of the head and neck comes farther behind and on the sides than in auduboni. The wings are totally destitute of the white edges of quills and coverts as seen in auduboni, and the middle coverts are black instead of pure yellow. The tail, too, is entirely black.