292 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



principally on fruits and soaked biscuit. I have never observed in this 

 species the maggots found on the young of the M. orpheus. 



27. Turdus aitrantips, Gm. (Merula leucogenys, Gosse.) The Hopping Dick 

 is widely dispersed throughout the mountains as well as the lower limestone 

 hills, and sometimes even to the lowlands; but never goes far from the foot of 

 these hills. The nest is sometimes found in tall trees, but more frequently in 

 low shrubs and bushes; it is a rough mass, composed of roots, twigs, fibre, grass, 

 leaves, stems of trailers, and pieces of trash with a cup formed of the softer 

 materials in the centre, and the bottom of the mass generally cemented with 

 mud. The eggs are oval, sometimes pointed at one end, glaucous white or 

 pale raw sienna, splashed all over with small irregular splashes, and spots of 

 burnt sienna, partially confluent ; they measure one and three-eighths by 

 fifteen-sixteenths of an inch ; the typical eggs have no slaty marking. 

 Individuals of this species are often found in gray mottled plumage. 



28. Tr/RDUS jamaicensis, 6m. The Glass Eye is a highland bird, and 

 though often induced to descend to the lower hills in search of food, I have 

 never met with it in the lowlands. The nest is smaller and more compact than 

 that of its congener, and made of similar materials. The eggs are long oval, 

 tapering to one end, glaucous white, dashed all over with dashes and spots of 

 burnt ochre, with slaty or pale bistre spots beneath, confluent at the large 

 end ; measuring one and seven-sixteenths by about one inch. Both the 

 Thrushes are sweet songsters, with full clear and mellow notes ; those of the 

 Glass Eye are more varied. The Hopping Dick eats insects, but the principal 

 food of both is berries and fruit. They are both easily kept in cages and 

 soon become docile and entertaining in confinement. 



SYLVICOL1DJE. 



38. Dendkoica petechia, L. (Sylvicola aestiva, Gosse.) This species is a con- 

 tant resident and known here as the Mangrove Canary, and is rarely seen far 

 from the sea. The nest is often met with in the mangrove swamps along the 

 coast, built in a fork or two more approximate upright branches, often in a 

 lateral fork; it is a neat cup about three inches across, and as much in depth 

 on the outside and two inches deep within ; the bottom is conical, except 

 when built on a large branch, then it is flat ; some are constructed of grass, 

 roots, fibre, leaves, feathers and debris of sea weeds ; in others, down forms a 

 considerable portion of the outer fabric, but the lining is generally of grass 

 or fibre, sometimes of feathers ; the eggs are three or four, oval, clayish 

 white, splashed all over with umber brown, and pale slaty spots, principally 

 around the large end, and measure three-fourths by half an inch. 



Stragglers of migratory warblers often remain here during the summer, 

 but this is not constant either as to species or numbers, guided possibly by 

 the anticipation of an inclement or genial summer on the Continent. In 1S62 

 we observed numbers of most of the species throughout the whole year. In 

 1863 the only species we have met with (exclusive of No. 38 and 202) are a 

 limited number of D. coronata and D. discolor near Spanish Town and 

 D. tigrina at Healthshire. I think, as a general rule, the migratory 

 Sylvieolidae only arrive in the early part of September ; those observed earlier- 

 are such as have remained during the summer and their young of the year. 



36. Dendroica coronata. During the second week in May, 1862, I was 

 informed by one of my sons, that several pairs of Yellow Creepers were building 

 in the large trees of Inga Saman, at the riverside near Spanish Town, but the 

 May rains set in and prevented any further investigation at the time, and 

 when he returned to the place after the rains had ceased, the nests were 

 destroyed. 



I have this year, 1863, secured one of the birds, which I send, (No. 258.) 



[Nov. 



