1922.] TRINIDAD BIRDS. Ml- 



TRINIDAD BIEDS. 



NOTES ON THE FOOD AND HABITS OF SOME 



TRINIDAD BIRDS. 



By C. B. Williams, m.a., f.e.s.. 

 Formerly Sugar Cane Entomologist, Department of Agriculture,. 



Trmidad and Tobago. 



The notes on the various species of birds recorded below were 

 made during my residence in the Island from March 1916 to January 

 1921, but in the first eighteen months of this period repeated absence 

 resulted in very little progress being made. 



The greater part of the observations are on the birds which 

 occur in the sugar cane districts and were made in connection with 

 my investigations on the sugar cane froghopper, but other species 

 were added as opportunity occurred and a four months' residence in 

 Maracas Valley enabled me to add notes on several of the birds of the 

 forest and cacao districts. At the same time the list is not to be taken 

 as indicating the relative abundance of the species, except under the 

 conditions and in the districts in which observations were possible. 



In view also of the fact that at certain periods of the year more 

 time was available, or that it was more important to get mformatioui 

 the records are irregularly distributed, and on this account no attempt 

 has been made to sum up breeding records to any period of months 

 and in each case the individual records have been given. 



It is only in this way and after the accumulation of many further 

 records that accurate summaries can be made. 



Most of the scientific names of the birds have been taken for 

 convenience from Chapman's List of the Birds of Trinidad (see 

 Bibliography at end) although it is recognised that this is by no means 

 up to date. 



The names used by Leotaud in his Oiseaux de Trinidad are also 

 given v/ith the numbers by which he distinguished them. The local 

 names are those in most general use or most suited to be used. 



There are altogether notes on one hundred and one species, of 

 which thirty-nine havo been found nesting and forty-nine dissected' 

 for stomach examination. 



The notes on the stomach contents are admittedly very 

 incomplete. They were undertaken almost entirely in the search 

 for bird enemies of the sugar cane froghopper and in view of my 

 lack of time and ability to prepare the skins of birds killed I was. 

 reluctant to shoot any further specimens after their relation to this 

 irsect had onc2 been established. 



