Mr. E. C. Taylor on the Birds of the West Indies. 77 



nucifera). The oil extracted from these cocoa-nuts is the only 

 produce of the district. 



I arrived at Trinidad fully impressed with the idea that its 

 avifauna was absolutely identical with that of the adjacent con- 

 tinent, and altogether distinct and dissimilar from that of the 

 other islands. I have since, however, somewhat modified this 

 opinion. In the first place, the island of Tobago has undoubt- 

 edly much more rapport ornithologically with Trinidad than 

 with the other islands of the Antillean group, as is proved by 

 the collections, especially of Humming-birds, received from 

 that island. On the other hand, although I do not suppose 

 that Trinidad possesses any species peculiar to itself, my list 

 will show that there are several species, not uncommon on the 

 adjacent continent, which I believe are never found in Trinidad. 

 It would be the work of a lifetime to make a complete collection 

 of the birds of Trinidad, so rich in species is the island. I do 

 not even profess to give a list of all I saw there myself, but 

 only of the collection I made during my stay in the island, and 

 in my two short excursions on the mainland of South America. 

 The shores of the lower Orinoco, and the coast between Trini- 

 dad and La Guaira, especially the immediate neighbourhood 

 of the town of Barcelona, swarm with birds to a far greater 

 degree than even Trinidad itself. I regret much that in my 

 flying visit to those parts I had time to shoot so few birds, and 

 to skin only about half of those I did shoot. In Humming- 

 birds {Trochilidce) , however, I found the parts of the mainland 

 I visited far inferior to Trinidad, which, both as regards species 

 and individuals, is hardly to be surpassed, I should suppose, by 

 any equal area in the world. Out of the nineteen species of 

 Humming-birds said to be found there, I succeeded, as my list 

 will show, in procuring fourteen. 



The names in the following list are chiefly taken from Dr. 

 Sclater's Catalogue of his Collection of American Birds. I am 

 also indebted to Dr. Sclater for his kind assistance in identifying 

 the species. 



RAPTORES. 

 •^ 1. Cathartes atratus. Black Vulture. 

 The first thing that struck me on arriving at Port of Spain 



