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pjing its own domain, which it did not allow to be invaded by the 

 others without giving battle at once. It was singular as w^ell as 

 pleasing to see and hear, on one of these lonely and almost desert 

 kays, this graceful bird mounted on the topmost spray of some 

 dwarf shrub, singing with as much fervor and satisfaction as if 

 surrounded by listeners, instead of having for sole auditor his 

 faitliful mate. The pairs seem to keep together after the period 

 of incubation has passed, as all I met with as early as February 

 were mated, and the inliabitants stated they did not lay before 

 ]May, and the sexual organs of all those dissected by me show'ed 

 no appearance of excitement. In its habits it differs very much 

 from our common species, delighting as much in solitude as the 

 latter does in the society of mankind. Its food during my visit 

 consisted almost entirely of the fruit of the prickly-pear, with the 

 addition of an occasional insect. I presume that the insectivo- 

 rous part of its diet is proportionally greater w^hen it inhabits the 

 larger islands ; but on the barren kays on which I procured my 

 specimens, insects are almost unknown, at least if I am to judge 

 from the number seen by myself. The stomachs of all those pro- 

 cured by me contained a quantity of the seeds of the prickly pear, 

 and a few remains of insects, and the feathers near the bill of all 

 of them were stained red by the juice of the fruit. Near Nassau 

 I saw but two individuals. Descriftion. Male : form and general 

 appearance more robust than that of the M. polyglottus. Plumage 

 above cinereous rufous brown. The rufous tint most marked on 

 the rump and upper tail coverts ; all the feathers striped down the 

 centre with dark brown, the stripes largest on the back, and best 

 defined on the head, and nearly or quite obsolete on the rump ; 

 a superciliary stripe of the same from the nostrils gradually van- 

 ishing towards the hind head. Cheeks white, with the tips of the 

 feathers blackish-brown, — ear coverts whitish, with the tips and 

 margin of the same color as back. Wings dark brown, with the 

 edges of the outer w^ebs of the quill feathers whitish ash ; greater 

 and middle wing coverts tipped with wdiitish, forming two bands 

 across the wing ; a dark linear spot of blackish brown runs down 

 the centre of each of the middle coverts, and projects into the 

 white of the tip, — this is also faintly indicated in the greater coverts. 

 Tail cinereous brown ; all the feathers edged with a lighter shade 

 as if faded. The tips of the four outer feathers white, — this color 



