XANTHORNUS, CUV. CAROUGE.
Differs from the preceding genus only in the circum stance of the bill being quite straight.
X. icterus, Cuv. Oriolus icterus, Lin. &c. Pendu longirostris, Vicil. Icteric Carouge, Icteric Oriole, or Large Banana Bird. Fulvous, with black head, throat, wings, and tail ; the wings marked by two white bars. Nine inches and a half long. A beautiful species, which inhabits the lower parts of North, and many districts of South America, as well as the West India islands, particu larly Jamaica. In its wild state it is agile and gregarious, building a large cylindrical nest, suspended to the end of a slender branch of a tree, with a view to remove its young from the attacks of snakes and other animals. Of these nests several may sometimes be seen near one ano ther. The icteric carouge is often domesticated in Ame rica, for the sake of destroying insects of various kinds; and it is also said sometimes to attack and prey on other birds. It is naturally of a lively disposition, and, when domesticated, manifests a high degree of docility, follow ing those who have the charge of it, descending from a tree or a house on being called by its name, and delighting to be handled and caressed in the manner of a lap-dog.
X. phxniceus, Cuv. Orioles phxnicens, Lin. &c. 4gelaius pheniceus,Vieil. Red-winged or Red-shoulder ed Carouge, or Oriole, Scarlet feathered Indian Bird, Red winged Starling, Red Bird, &c. Black, with crimson shoulders, margined with yellow. Size of a starling. The femalo is of a dusky or brown hue, with the edges of the feathers whitish or pale, and with a less distinct appear ance of red on the shoulders. We need not, therefore, wonder that she should have been frequently described as a separate species, under the epithet Melanolcucus. The males themselves are liable to vary in their aspect at different periods of their life, and have sometimes been found of a uniform cream colour. This species occurs in North America, from Mexico to Nova Scotia, and still farther north, but not in the West Indies. It wintets in the southern states, and returns, early in March, to the cen tral provinces, the males uniformly arriving first, and the females some days later. But both sexes and the young migrate in autumn to Louisiana in such dense multitudes, that 300 may be captured at one drag of the net ; and an instance is recorded, of a single individual having collect ed in one winter 40,000 of the red patches which discrimi nate the males, and which were formerly in great request for ornamenting ladies gowns. On their return to the states of New York and New Jersey, these birds frequent the salt marshes, for the sake of feeding on the grains of Zizania aquatica. As they advance farther northward, their bands augment in numbers, as each resorts to its birth-place, and breeds among aquatic plants. During the day they haunt the fields and meadows, but towards evening betake themselves to the marshes and reeds, among which they pass the night. Their nest, which they often place in the most inaccessible situations, is suspended, as it were, between two reeds, the leaves of which they interlace, and form into a sort of shed or covering, while they im part solidity and thickness to its circumference and base by dry grasses, bound together with mud ; and they line it with the fibres of roots, and the softest and most delicate herbage. This nicely constructed cradle is always raised above the highest state of the water over which it impends.
In default of reeds suited to their purpose, these birds will. build between the branches of a bush or shrub, but always in swampy situations. Each hatch, for they have usually two in the season, consists of five or six eggs, of a grey white, irregularly spotted with black.
The red-winged carouges attack the maize fields at two different periods, namely, when the grain begins to ger minate, and a little before the plant attains to maturity, and either by themselves, or in the company of the purple grakle, commit great havock on the crop. They are very bold, and not to be terrified by a gun ; for, although the sportsman should make great slaughter among a flock, the remainder will take a short flight, and settle again in the same field,' and often with increased numbers. The farmers sometimes steep the maize before they sow it in a decoction of white hellebore, which stupifies the birds, and enables people to kill them in great numbers. From the greediness with which they devour this grain, they are popularly termed maize thieves. But it should also be re collected that they destroy myriads of insects and their larva; and that their complete extirpation would proba bly be followed by more serious consequences than any which result from letting them alone. They are fond of singing, and exceedingly playful, either when confined, or when suffered to run about the house. When placed be fore a looking-glass, they will erect the feathers of the head, and hiss at their own image, then lowering the crest, they will set up their tail, quiver their wings, and strike at the figure with their bill. When taken, either young or old, they become immediately familiar. Though often killed for the table, their flesh is not reputed delicate.
X. Baltimore, Cuv. Oriolus Baltimore, Lin. &c. Yphan tes Baltimore, Vieil. Baltimore Carouge, Baltimore Ori ole, or Baltimore Bird. So named from a similarity in its colours to those in the arms of the Baltimore family. Blackish ; the under parts of the body, and the band on the wings, tawny; bill lead colour ; greater wing coverts black, tipt with white ; first quill feathers dirty white, edged with white; two middle tail feathers black ; the rest black on the lower part, and orange above. The female has the head, neck, shoulders, and back, varied with olive-green and brown ; the throat, breast, belly, and inferior tail-co verts, yellow ; the smaller wing coverts black, externally margined with deep olive green ; the greater coverts and quills fringed with white, the tail grey-olive, and the legs black. The young resemble the females, but exhibit faint er hues. These birds are found in many parts of America, from Carolina to Canada, occupying the northern regions in summer, advancing to Montreal in May, and returning southward in winter, during which season they are seen in Maryland and Virginia. They make their nest of tough vegetable filaments, curiously interwoven, mixed with wool, and lined with hair. In shape it somewhat resem bles a pear, is open at top, and furnished with a hole on the side, for the purpose of more expeditiously feeding the young; and it is attached, by vegetable threads, to the extreme forks of the tulip tree, plane,or hiccory. The eggs are spotted with red. The country people call the Balti more carouges fire birds, or fire hang nests, because, when in high plumage, their motions from branch to branch present the semblance of a flash of fire.