( 399 ) 



Abingdon Island. 



(S ad. No. 967, Beck coll. : culm. 22, nostril to tip 16-7, depth at base 1 0-."), width 

 at base 8'5. 



c? jun. No. 374, Harris coll. : culm. 20-.5, nostril to tip l.j, depth at base HJ, 

 width at base 9. 



c? jun. No. 976, Beck coll. : cnlm. 20o, nostril to tiji 15, depth at base lU, 

 width at base S. 



? No. 560, Harris coll.: culm, -.'o, nostril to ti{) 1.3, depth at base 10-:5, width 

 at base 8. 



BiNDLOK Island. 



S No. 734, Beck coll. : culm. 2()-5, nostril to tip 16, depth at base 11, width at 

 base 9. 



? No. 70--.', Harris coll.: cnlm. :.;1, nostril to tip 15, depth at base 11, width at 

 base 9. 



J Baur coll. (ex s/jiritu vini) : culm. 22, nostril to tip 15-5, depth at base 12, 

 width at base 8'5 mm. 



? Baur coll. {ex xjiiritu viiii) : culm. 20, nostril to tip 14, depth at base 12, 

 width at base 9-5 mm. 



Mr. Beck did not find it common on either Abinfrdon or Bindloe. On one da)' 

 he and Harvey went over all the most suitable ground for (}. s. ahingdnni, when in 

 search of tortoises, and saw hardly a dozen of these birds. They were nsually seen 

 in the large cactus trees, feeding on the blossoms. Mr. Beck thinks that they uest 

 among the thick leaves of the tree cactus, S to 15 ft. high, but his time was too 

 limited to make a thorough search for the nests. 



On Bindloe, during a three honrs' trij) through the most suitable j)laces, only 

 one or two of these birds were noticed. 



Geospiza scandens septentrionalis Rothsch. & Hart. 



Nov. ZudL. VI, 1899, p. IGo. — Gcusjjai scplentriuiudis Eidgw., Birds North ifc Middle Amer. I, 

 1901, p. .511. 



Mr. Beck sent a nice series collected during his last expedition. He says it is 

 the commonest land bird on ^Venman. 



The largest and smallest adult males of these have the culmen 15 and 17 mm. 

 long. 



Several nests without eggs were found in the low cactus bushes on the blurt's 

 and flats near the shore, from one to four feet above the ground. Jlost of the 

 cactus blossoms along the shore were eaten out by the birds, but none were seen on 

 the boobies {Stda), eating lice, as they were in 1897. 



Geospiza pallida (Scl. & Salv.). 



Nov. ZooL. VI, 1899, p. l&b.— Cuiuarhynchu^ jiallidus Ridgw., Birds Xurdi <t Middle Amer. I, 

 1901, p. 487. 



Messrs. Beck and Green sent skins from Albemarle and Indefatigable Islands. 



Mr. Beck and his companions fonnd Geospiza pallida rare everywhere. He 

 says that they feed more like a woodpecker than like other Geospizae. They were 

 seen to peck open stems of cactus, apparently in search of larvae, and prying and 

 picking under bark and in cracks in search of food. No nests were fonnd. 



