Sir W. Jardine on the Ornithology of the Island of Tobago. 371 



I have been silent on these subjects for some time past, I have 

 not been an inattentive observer ; I shall therefore give you a fair 

 statement of my observations and allow you to draw your own 

 inferences. In September 1843 my attention was drawn to a 

 nest of the Crotophaga by the ranger of Buccoo, an estate under 

 my charge ; he told me that there was generally one bird in the 

 nest, but that they frequently came in great numbers perching 

 around it, and were particularly noisy. I examined the nest to 

 which he alluded ; it was built upon a cocoa-nut tree, about thirty 

 feet from the ground, and the tree being about forty feet from 

 the dwelling-house door, afforded an excellent opportunity to 

 watch their habits. The result was that there never did appear 

 to be more than one bird in the nest during the day, but on 

 sundry occasions, especially mornings and afternoons, they came 

 in flocks of from twenty to thirty, alighting on the tree and 

 crowding round the nest making a considerable noise, on which 

 occasions I generally observed the occupier of the nest at the 

 time left her place ; but whether for fear, or rather to give place to 

 others, I could not ascertain ; I think most probably the former. 

 I never saw more than one bird sitting in the nest at a time ex- 

 cept during those turbulent visits, and then it was quite impos- 

 sible to tell how many might have been in it. The branches of 

 the cocoa-nut tree spring from the stem in a cluster, ascending 

 at an angle of from 45° to 50°, forming very deep and irregular 

 interstices between the branches, and in one of these the nest in 

 question was commenced; the interstice was then deep and the nest 

 not large, but contained five eggs, which seemed to be covered by 

 one bird. I was absent from that district for several weeks, and 

 on my return I observed that the nest appeared much larger, and 

 was told it contained four birds ; I did not disturb them on that 

 occasion, but on returning about ten days thereafter I sent a 

 servant up to examine the nest, which he reported empty ; not 

 being quite satisfied with his report and wishing to ascertain the 

 cause of the increase of bulk, I went up myself and brought 

 down the nest entire. On the upper surface lay one rotten egg, 

 partially concealed by the sticks, grass and leaves of which the 

 nest was composed ; on removing another stratum of the same 

 materials, but chiefly leaves, I discovered seven eggs ; and on re- 

 peating the search farther, after removing fully four inches of 

 leaves, I found first ten and then four eggs, making a total of 

 twenty-two addled eggs after the young birds had taken flight. 



" From what I have witnessed on the above occasion, I am quite 

 satisfied that the community added to the general stock of eggs 

 and also to the building, much to the inconvenience and annoy- 

 ance of the original architect, who seemed at first perfectly 

 satisfied with her own fabrication. A question now arises, viz. 



