112 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected 



were very abundant on the Pacific Slope. I did not see so many 

 on the Atlantic side. They are fond of feeding on the fruit of 

 the cactus ; and the feathers on the head^ and the interior of 

 the gullet and stomach, are often deeply stained with its crimson 

 juice. 



15. Great Crow-Blackbird. {Quiscalus niacrwus.) 

 Common, and always to be found in and about the villages. 



They appear to be polygamous, as the male birds are generally 

 attended by several females. A very fine male bird and his 

 accompanying females used to frequent the court-yard of the 

 Honduras Railroad Agency House in Comayagua, where we lived. 

 They generally sat either on the roof of the house, or among 

 the upper branches of some orange trees which grew in the 

 yard. They had a most peculiar cry, not unlike the noise pro- 

 duced by the sharpening of a saw, only more prolonged. 



Gosse^s account of the manners and note of the Tinkling 

 Grackle is applicable to this bird. I shot also at Comayagua 

 a small Crow-Blackbird, in size and general appearance like the 

 Tinkling Grackle. These, or other black birds, with shorter tails, 

 resembling Starlings, were often seen in large flocks near the 

 villages, and at sundown would collect in black masses on the 

 tops of low trees close to the houses. 



16. Mexican Raven. {Corvus cacalotH) 



I saw two Crows of a considerable size on the top of a lofty 

 pine tree, growing on the highest ridge of mountains between 

 Opotelma and Siquatepeque, near 5000 feet above the sea. If 

 my mule had not been refractory, I should have shot one. 



17. Black-headed Blue Jay. {Cyanocorax melano-cyaneus.) 

 The only place where 1 saw these birds was in the pine ti'ees 



on the elevated plain between Siquatepeque and Taulevi. They 

 appeared to be tolerably plentiful. 



18. Small Crested Blue Jay. {Cyanocitta coi-onata.) 

 The above remarks are equally applicable to this bird. After 



1 left the country, Mr. Edwards obtained several specimens of 

 both species. 



