﻿Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire. 305 



specifically, more Americanorum. The Mexican pale form, 

 however, is quite distinct, and the rich-coloured birds from 

 Porto Rico deserve attention. The latter correspond with 

 Ridgway's description of C. passerina socorrensis, but are 

 probably distinct from it. The form from Grand Cayman 

 described as C. passerina insularis is probably the same as 

 the true typical Jamaican C. 'passerina. My pale birds from 

 Curacao are in colour nearest to the Mexican bird, but the 

 wings are a little shorter, the colour still a trifle paler, and 

 the base of the bill yellow, instead of red, as it is said to be 

 in C. passerina pallescens from Mexico. 



All the South-American examples of C. passerina seem to 

 be very closely allied to the true Jamaican C. passerina, 

 although extremely variable. It is of course safer, to avoid 

 mistakes, to unite all the forms together, but I am not pre- 

 pared to do this. I have not seen Barbadian specimens, on 

 which Bonaparte's name C. trochila (Consp. Avium, ii. p. 6) 

 was based. 



The Ground-Dove of Curacao and its sister islands has the 

 bill " deep brown at the tip, the basal portion pale orange- 

 yellow or pale yellow, near the nostrils light yellow. Iris 

 lilac and red. Naked ring round the eye light yellow. Feet 

 light flesh-colour." Wing 305 to 3*15 inches. 



This Dove is extremely common on all the three islands, 

 and is known as " Tortolica." The nest is placed in bushes 

 and trees, but mostly on the prickly branches of the Opuntia 

 or Cereus. It contains two eggs. I found two broods, and 

 I was told that some of them breed in every month of the 

 year. The eggs are of an elliptical ovate and elliptical 

 oval form, varying into elongate ovate, occasionally ovate, 

 and even nearly fusiform ; they measure 19'6xl5, 20x17, 

 21 x 17 to 22 x 16, 22 x 17, 23 x 17, 23'5 x 157, 236 x 16"5 

 to 23 x 17*5 mm. 



21. Leptoptila verreauxi, Bp. 



Appears to be very rare. I saw it only once in Aruba. 



22. ElJPSYCHORTYX CRISTATUS (L.). 



Eupsychortyx gouldi, Berl. J. f. O. 1892, p. 100 in the 

 text (Curacao). 



sEii. vr. — vol. v. z 



[17] 



