174 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BULLETIN. [XX.2,3&4. 



(3) On August 12, 1919 at Uslne Ste. Madeleine in a mass of 



creeper on a tree about fifteen feet from ground. It was a 

 deep cup nest made of large twigs and Imed with leaves of 

 the creeper and it contained nine eggs — exclusive of one 

 which had been knocked out by the birds and was found 

 undamaged on the ground below. 



(4) On September 8, 1919 at Hermitage in a tree about ten 



feet from ground. Several birds were round the nest, 

 but owing to the presence of a large wasp's (Polistes) nest 

 alongside, I was unable to examine it. 



(5) On February 29, 1 920 at Maracas in the creeper over the 



porch of an empty house. It contained a number of 

 young birds. 



(6) On October 6, 1920 at Caroni in a large black sage bush 



only about three feet from ground, but in rather treeless 

 country. It contained ten eggs. 



(7) On the same date and in the same locality a nest about 



eight feet from ground in a clump of bushes. Contents 

 not noted but a bird was sitting alongside. 



A nest is recorded by Chapman {Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 

 VI. 64) as being completed on April 14, 1893. 



The eggs are greenish blue in colour, but covered over entirely 

 with a thick white incrustation. In a newly laid egg this hides all the 

 blue, but it is easily scratched and as the egg gets older the blue 

 beneath gradually becomes more visible. 



The food consists chiefly of insects as shown by the following 

 dissections. 



(1) Shot at Brechin Castle on October 4, 1917 contained 



beetles (chiefly Chrysomelidae and two Cassidae), several 

 large Coreid bugs and 4 spiny caterpillars. 



(2) Shot at Caroni on November 6, 1917 in sugar cane badly 



infested with froghopper, contained 1 large grasshopper, 

 1 large spider, 1 large black Coreid bug, I small green 

 Pentatomid nymph, remains of one froghopper and 

 several grasshoppers. 



(3) Shot in the Oropuche Lagoon on October 12, 1919 



contained one large red-bodied grasshopper only. 



Kershaw (Special Circular No. 4. Dept. of Agr.) gives the contents 

 of a stomach examined by him as four froghoppers, seeds of a weed 

 and other insects. 



