54 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 79 



NESOMIMUS MELANOTIS PARVULUS (Gould) 



Albemarle Island mocking bird 



Orpheus parvulus Gould. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1837, p. 27. (Galapagos 

 Archipelago.) 



A male was shot at Villamiel, August 22, and a female at Tagus 

 Cove, August 25, on Albemarle Island. It seems preferable to call 

 this bird a race of m^Ianotis in view of its close resemblance to 

 other forms placed there, rather than to consider it a specific entity 

 as Rothschild and Hartert have done,^^ 



NESOMIMUS MACDONALDI Ridgway 



Hood Island mocking bird 



Nesomimus macdonaldi Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 12, February 5, 

 1890, p. 103, fig. 1, (Hood Island, Galapagos Archipelago.) 



Two males, one adult and one immature, were taken at Hood 

 Island June 30, 1929. The adult bird is molting the rectrices. The 

 immature individual has the breast distinctly spotted with dusky 

 and the under tail-coverts buff}^ brown. 



NESOMIMUS ADAMSI Ridgway 



Chatham Island mocking bird 



Nesomimus macdonaldi Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 12, February 5, 

 1894, p. 358. (Chatham Island, Galapagos Archipelago.) 



An immature female with spotted breast, and an adult male, were 

 taken at Chatham Island July 3 and 4, 1929, respectively. 



On account of their similar habits the six subspecies taken on 

 Tower, Indefatigable, Chatham, Hood. Barrington, and Albemarle 

 Islands will be treated under one heading. As the Charles Island 

 bird was reported as very rare, everyone who went ashore was re- 

 quested to be on the lookout for it, but none was seen. 



This mocker is a free and easy, rollicking, inquisitive, fearless 

 clown, so it was thought appropriate to give him the nickname of 

 " Jake " which was approved and accepted ; thus all mockers there- 

 after were " Jakes." Almost as soon as we landed on any of the 

 islands, some of these birds would meet us and would go over in detail 

 any article that by chance was laid down for a moment. A gun for 

 instance was examined carefully with attempt to run the bill into 

 narrow crevices or the birds peered down into the mysterious darkness 

 of the barrels. When their attention was attracted they had two ways 

 of approach, either by flying direct and alighting on the nearest ele- 

 vation, or wrenlike, by coming quietly through the undergrowth to 

 appear suddenly at our side. Their song, the principal one heard, 



3» Nov. Zool., vol. 6, Aug., 1899, pp. 143, 146, 147. 



