on the Birds of St. Croix. 67 



familiar bird {H. rustica, L.), and, I think, could hardly be di- 

 stinguished from it on the wing. On one occasion I saw several 

 hundreds flying over a lagoon, intending probably to pass the 

 night in the thick mangroves on its margin. From what I 

 could learn, they do not winter in the island, nor are they seen 

 there on their passage northwards in spring.'* — E. N. 



6. Belted Kingfisher. Ceryle alcyon (Linn.) : And. pi. 77 : 

 YarrelPs Brit. B. 3rd edit. ii. p. 236. 



Apparently a winter visitant, leaving the island late in April- 

 It chiefly frequents the Mangrove-swamps and the mouths of the 

 small streams, but sometimes fishes nearly half a mile out at 

 sea. Its loud call has been well likened to the noise made by 

 springing a watchman's rattle. 



"The stomach of one I skinned contained shells of crabs." — 

 A.N. 



"I saw what I believe to have been a bird of this species on 

 my passage home in October 1858, in lat. 26° 17' N., long 

 57° 28' W. It flew round the steamer several times within gun- 

 shot ; and I could clearly make out the dark belt across the 

 breast."— E. N. 



The maritime habit of this species makes the occurrence of 

 two examples in Ireland, as recorded by Mr. Thompson (B. 

 Irel. i. 373), less surprising than might otherwise appear. 



t 7. Black-and-yellow Creeper. Certhiola flaveola 

 (Linn.) (?) " Sugar Bird." 



Whether this be really identical with the Certhia flaveola of 

 Linnaeus, the type of which is usually supposed to be the bird 

 from Jamaica, may very fairly be doubted. But so much con- 

 fusion seems to exist among naturalists respecting the so-called 

 species of the genus Certhiola, that it is very desirable not to 

 make matters worse. And, as the specific value of the differ- 

 ences which exist between the " Sugar-bird" of St. Croix and 

 the " Banana Quit " of Jamaica is by no means certain, it ap- 

 pears best merely to remark upon them, and to abstain from 

 describing the former as distinct from the latter, especially, too, 

 as, after an examination of a tolerably large series of skins from 

 other localities in the British Museum and Mr. P. L. Sclater's 



r 2 



