396 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



46. Margarops fuscatus densirostris (Vieillot). 

 Grosse Grive. Grise Corossol. 



Eleven specimens from the deep woods near Ste. Rose, the Soufriere, 

 and Goyave taken in the latter part of July and the latter part of 

 August. 



Few birds of Guadeloupe are more strictly confined to the deep 

 woods than this species. Very shy and retiring in habits it seeks the 

 tallest trees of the rain forest. On my homeward voyage from 

 Guadeloupe I was greatly surprised to find the closely related Mar- 

 garops f. fuscatus in the streets of Christiansted, St. Croix; for I asso- 

 ciated such a bird with anything but the noise and bustle of traffic. 

 Perhaps the lighter color of this form to the north has been brought 

 about by its open and sunny habitat. 



The Grosse Grive is considered throughout Guadeloupe as one of the 

 best game-birds to be ranked even with the Ramier and Perdrix; and 

 since it lives on the roof of the tropical forest covering the higher parts 

 of the island, the hunters are put to considerable trouble to obtain it. 

 When disturbed the bird utters a sharp cluck, entirely different from 

 the alarm-note of any other bird of the region. The cluck is repeated 

 at intervals and is accompanied by a simultaneous lowering and 

 jerking upwards of the tail. The bird's song is loud and clear con- 

 sisting of a series of long whistles. In attracting this Grive, the 

 natives give a long call of low vibrant sounds, — shush! shush! — not 

 unlike the puffing of a distant locomotive. They explain this call 

 as the imitation of a mother Grive hovering over a young one which 

 has fallen from the nest or been overtaken by some other calamity. 



