( 389 ) 



" On Bindloe these birds were breeding in March, a nest with young, several 

 days (lid, being fonnd on the 21st. It was a large nest, placed in a cactus, G ft. 

 from the ground. 



" On Abingdon we found tliese birds fairly common down to about half a mile 

 from the shore. Several incomplete nests and one with young was found. They 

 were placed in large cactus trees, from .'5 to 12 ft. high, and were large bulky nests 

 about a foot in diameter, similar in construction and of the same material as those 

 of smaller (ieospizae. 



" We saw the males frequently fly into an open tree ur on the topmost branch 

 of a high cactus tree, and sing their clear song, which is somewhat like that of 

 (jieospi za fortis Jraten-nht , bnt louder and clearer. It sounds somewhat like ke-u, 

 ke-fi, sometimes with a jileasing trill on the last syllable. These finches feed 

 principally on seeds they pick up and scratch from the gronud." 



Geospiza conirostris conirostris Ridgw. 



Nov. Zooi.. VI, 1899, p. 158.— Ridgw., Bini^ Xorlh and Middle Amer. I, p. 498. 



We have received a big series of this bird from Gardner Island, near Hood, 

 collected by Green, which call for no special remarks. 



Geospiza conirostris darwini Rothsch. & Hart. 



Geospku danrlni, Niiv. Zcimi,. YI, 1899, p. 158.— Ridgw., Birds: Nnrlh mid Middle Amer. I, 1901 

 p. 500 : (ieospizd cmiirii«lrlx subRp. (?), N(iv. Zcicii.. VI, 1899, p. 100 no. 7, p. 201 no. 30. 



We have received two skins from Onlpepper, one marked as )/ifili', the other 

 iiafi'mfde. The former is black, except on the under tail-coverts and edges to 

 some of the feathers of the lower abdomen, which are brownish grey. The other is 

 similar to females of G. conirostris conirostris, but the bill is so large and the 

 colour so dark that we believe it to be a young male. 



On re-examining the five typical specimens together with these two skins, we 

 are forced to the conclusion that this form is only a closely allied subspecies of 

 G. conirostris. The only difference is that the bill is slightly larger and heavier 

 and the wing longer, as the following measurements show, all our ilaririiii — 

 namely, four black mules, two grey mules, and one gvey femiile — and only black 

 mules of typical cuiilrosti-is being measured : — 



G. conirostris i/'ir/rini. 



Culmen : 24, 24, 23^, 23, 23, 23 mm. 

 Height of bill : 20, ID, 19, IS, 18, 17 mm. 

 Width of bill at base : 15, 15, 14, 14, 13, 13 mm. 

 Gonys : 15, 14, 14, 13, 12, 12 mm. 

 Wing : S6, H5, 85, 84, S3, 82, sii mm. 



G. conirostris conirostris. 



Culmen : 24 to 18-5 mm. 

 Height of bill: 18 to 14 mm. 

 Width of bill at base : 13 to U mm. 

 Gonys: 13-5 to 10-5 mm. 

 Wing : 82-5 to TO mm. 



