680 BIRDS FROM MARGARITA— ROBINSON. vol xvm. 



upon reaching the seeds in the narrow clefts by means of their slender 



and long beaks. 



[A series of tliirteen specimens from INIargarita i)resent the characters 



claimed for this subspecies very clearly. Tlie accomi)anyi!!g tigure, 



representing an average Centi'al American bird, and also the longest 



billed Margaritan specimen, will sliow tliegreatdifTferencein lengthof bill 



between the two forms. S])ecimens of .4. c. tximui from the niainla; d 



of Vene/Aiela (from whence the form was oiiginally described) are not, 



judging from the material in the U. S. National Museum collection, very 



constant in regard to the characters of this subs])ecies. some of the 



specimens from that country being very close to the true eyanea. There 



is also a wide variation in length of bill in 



.^.'''^Trrr'^ specimens from Trinidad and Tobago, where 



^ — — (g^ (f^'"'-- 



^^^======r::^:;;^^_W',..-' exitnia appears to occur. 



\ The average length of the exposed culmen 



in ten males from ^largarita is 0.82 inch, the 



^<<^^^'^^^r~"^ extremes being 0.73 and O.DU inch. Dr. J. A. 



"^ ^^~S^^-S^-^ Allen gives the a\'erage length of exposed 



Y culmen in fifteen males from Matto Giosso, 



selected at random, as 0.54 inch, with ex- 



"^^''IxmiA^AN™"™™''' tremes of 0.48 and O.o9 inch, these figures 



all tailing considerably below the minimum 

 measurement in the Margaritan males. 

 In three ^largaritan females the exposed culmen averages 0.78 inch, 

 with 0.85 and 0.G4 inch as extremes, the last being much tlie shortest 

 of the entire series. In nine nmles the wing measurements average 

 2.5G inches, with extremes of 2,48 and 2.70 inches; the fifteen males 

 measured by Dr. Allen average 2.68 inches, with extremes of 2.57 and 

 2.7(> inches. 



The Margaritan birds do not ditt'er in color from those of other locali- 

 ties, and in this respect individuals from one end of the bird's range to 

 the other are remarkably uniform. — C. W. 11.] 



Family MIMID.^. 



71. MIMUS GILVUS (Vieillot). 

 GRACEFUL MOCKING BIRD. 



^"^ative name " i)araulata.'' 



With the exception of the scaled dove, this was the most abundant 

 bird on the island, being found everywhere excei)t in the heavy forest. 

 On July 15 I found a nest with tliree partly incubated eggs which were 

 indistinguishable from those of our mocking bird. 



[In three s])ecimens from Margarita the length of the exposed cul- 

 men varies from 0.75 to 0.85 inch, giving the birds a place intermediate 

 between f/ilvtis and rostratus. — 0. W. R. I 



