THE BAHAMA ISLANDS 351 



but owing to these additions and to increase the value of the check-list, it has 

 been deemed best to give a brief outline of the peculiarities of the avifauna. 



Of the two hundred and four species and subspecies of birds that have 

 been recorded from the Bahamas, onl}^ one hundred are summer residents; 

 the rest have an accidental occurrence, or are migrants, mainly from the 

 eastern United States. Of the summer and permanent residents, forty-four 

 are endemic and fifty-six non-endemic. Taking up the latter first, we find 

 that thirty-two are of more or less wide distribution, mainly water birds, leav- 

 ing twenty-four for consideration, of which six are found in the West Indies 

 proper, namely: Colymhus dominicus Linne (West Indies generally), Puffinus 

 Ihermi'tvieri Lesson (West Indies generally and Bermuda), Dendrocygna ar- 

 horea (Linne) (West Indies generally), Tyrannits cubensis Richmond (Cuba), 

 Mimus polyglottvs orpheus (Linne) (Greater Antilles), Margarops fuscatiLS 

 (Vieillot) (Greater and northern Lesser Antilles and Bonaire) ; and thirteen, 

 as follows, in the eastern United States, mainly Florida : Oxyechus vociferus 

 (Linne), Oclitliodromus ivilsonius (Ord), Zenaidura macroura (Linne), 

 Buteo horealis (umhriiius Bangs?), Strix pratincola Bonaparte, Coccyzus 

 minor maynardi (Eidgway), Coccyzus americanus (Linne), Sitta pusilla 

 Latham," Dendroica dominica (Linne), Dendroica discolor (Vieillot), Seiurus 

 aurocapillus (Linne), Agelaius phoeniceiis hryanti Eidgway. The following 

 are found in the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas and Florida, and have probably 

 reached the latter locality by way of the Bahamas : Zenaida zenaida (Bona- 

 parte), Geotrygon clirysia Salvadori, and Vireosylvia calidris harhatulus (Ca- 

 banis). All three may be regarded, comparatively speaking, as quite recent 

 additions to the Florida avifauna. To these three might be added Tyran- 

 nus dominicensis (Gmelin) of a rather wide tropical range. 



The forty-four endemic species, from their importance as bearing upon 

 the derivation of the Bahama avifauna, will be taken up in order and the 

 nearest relative given when it is possible to do so. 



1. Butorides virescens hahamensis (Brewster). — Butorides virescens 

 (Linne) is said to visit the Islands as a migrant in winter and this light-colored 

 form has probably been derived from some that failed to leave on the return 

 migration; finding the conditions suitable for existence they have become per- 

 manent residents. Closely related forms occur in the West Indies and on the 

 American continent. 



" Recorded only from Great Bahama Island. 



