Todd: The Birds of the Isle of Pines. 273 



characters alone. The yellow of the throat in hippocrepis does not 

 Invade the malar region to any more appreciable extent than is shown 

 by Florida birds, although it is apparently on this character that Mr. 

 Ridgway has mainly relied to place it near fieglecta. Specimens in 

 full plumage are quite as dark as Florida birds, but differ in averaging 

 smaller, with the under parts more conspicuously streaked. The 

 present form should stand, therefore, as an insular race of S., magna. 



A characteristic bird of the open country in the Isle of Pines, fre- 

 quenting the pastures, fields, and edges of the pine-woods, wherever 

 there is a growth of low grasses or herbage, and the ground is dry. 

 It is generally distributed in such situations over the entire northern 

 part of the island, but is absent from the Cienaga and the country to 

 the southward, where the conditions are unsuitable. During the 

 breeding-season, or from March to June inclusive, it is seen in pairs, 

 after which the young and old associate in family groups. Young 

 in Juvenal dress were taken at Bibijagua on July 5 and 10. Its notes 

 are decidedly weaker than those of the northern Meadowlark, and it 

 is a much tamer bird. 



132. Agelaius assimilis Lembeye. Cuban Red-wing. 



Agelaius assimilis Cory, Cat. W. Indian Birds, 1892, 127 (I. of Pines, in geog. 



distr.). — GuNDLACH, Orn. Cubana, 1895, 120 (I. of Pines). — RmcwAY, Bull. 



U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, II, 1902, 342 (I. of Pines, in geog. distr.). — Bangs & 



Zappey, Am. Nat., XXXIX, 1905, 212 (Cienaga; habits; plum.; crit.). — • 



Sharpe, Hand-List Birds, V, 1909, 493 (I. of Pines, in geog. distr.). — Read, 



Oologist, XXX, 1913, 131 (I. of Pines). 

 Agelaius subniger Bangs, Proc. New England Zool. Club, IV, 1913, 92 (Cienaga; 



orig. descr.; type in coll. Mus. Comp. Zool.; meas.; crit.). — Stone, Auk, 



XXX, 1913, 453, in text (review). 

 "Cuban [Red]-wing" Read, Oologist, XXX, 1913, 130 (Santa Barbara). 



Fourteen specimens: Siguanea and Pasadita. 



In addition to the present series of this rare species, I have been able 

 to examine in this connection the specimens from Cuba and the Isle 

 of Pines handled by Mr. Bangs, and upon the strength of which he 

 separated the bird from the latter island under the name Agelaius 

 subniger. Upon the status of this alleged form this new material 

 throws considerable light. Taking up the males first, it appears 

 that they naturally fall into two series, unquestionably representing 

 different ages. The fully adult males are deep glossy black above and 

 below, with the lesser wing-coverts crimson, and the greater wing- 

 coverts buffy, as in A. phceniceus. In first nuptial dress, however, 



