( 155 ) 



The second possibility — viz., that G. magnirostris cannot be separated from 

 G. strenua — mnst be con.sidered, because the measurements of a uumber of G. streiiua 

 will show how mnch the}- dili'er in proportions of bill and wing ; bnt as we do not 

 find the combinations of a cnlmen of over 26-5 mm. and more, with a wing of 91 mm. 

 and more, we cannot nnite G. magnirosfrin maffnirostris and G. mar/iiirostris strenua, 

 as the nomenclatnrL' of these forms should probably be, under one name. 



2. Geospiza strenua J. Gould. 



Geospha strenua, J. Gould in P. Zonl Sue. (1837) p. 5 ; Zool. Voij. Bmijle, III. Birds, p. 100, 

 PI. XXXVII. (1841) ; Salvia in Trans. Zonl. Soc. Land. IX. p. 479 (1876) ; Sharpe, Cat. H. 

 Brit. Mus. XVI. p. 8 (1888); Ridgway, t.c. p. 514. 



Geospha imchjrhyiwha, Ridgway in P. U.S.' Nat. Mus. XVIII. p. 293 (189G) ; Ridgway, t.c. 

 p. 516. 



Ridgway enumerates Charles Island as one of the islands inhabited by this 

 bird, bnt we presume that the specimen procured by the '^Albatross" must belong 

 to G. magnirostris if it came from Charles Island. We shall see below how small 

 young individuals of these finches are, compared with adult birds. 



Chatham Island is given on the authority of Darwin ; l)nt no such birds ever 

 being found there, and Darwin himself stating that he had mixed the finches up, 

 we must entirely disregard the statement that this species ever occurred on Chatham 

 Island, and we think that the type mnst have come from James Island, our skins 

 from there agreeing with the t3'pe of the species in the British Museum. 



G. strenua is evidently not rare on James Island, for we have seen 24 sjjecimens 

 from there, in addition to those in the British Museum. The black mates from 

 James measure as follows ; — 



It was first found on Bindloe by Dr. Habel. We have e.xamined 34 Biudloe 

 skins. The black males measnre : — 



Habel also discovered it on Abingdon Island. Tt is evidently very common on 



