﻿316 Mr. E. Hartert on the Birds of 



be more convenient to treat them as subspecies ; but I think 

 that, as a rule, insular forms, which, on account of their 

 isolation are not likely to interbreed or produce inter- 

 mediate forms, should be regarded as species rather than 

 as subspecies, even if the differences be small. 



(6) Linnaeus, in 1758, named Catesby's "Bahama Spar- 

 row" Fringilla zena, but afterwards transferred this name to 

 another member of his large group Fringilla — the Spindalis 

 zena of the present epoch — and renamed the " Bahama Spar- 

 row " Fringilla bicolor. According to the law of priority, 

 both birds should bear the specific term "bicolor," which 

 could not cause any inconvenience, the one being a member 

 of the Fringillidae and the other of the Tanagridae. 



(7) The females of all these forms are similar, and to be 

 distinguished only with the greatest difficulty. 



The " bicolor "-group of the genus Euetheia consists there- 

 fore of the following species or subspecies : — 



(1) Euetheia bicolor (Linn.). 



£ . Forehead and crown dingy black, gradually shading 

 off into the dusky olive of the back. Black of breast ex- 

 tending down along the abdomen. Bill blackish brown. 

 Wing 1*9 to 2'05 inches. 



Hab. Bahamas and most of the Lesser Antilles, accidentally 

 in Southern Florida. 



(2) E. marchi (Baird). 



$ . Above similar to E. bicolor, but the black on the 

 underparts much less extended, abdomen paler and without 

 black. Bill paler brown. Wing 2'05 inches. 



Hab. Jamaica, San Domingo (Barbados?). 



I have not seen specimens from Porto Rico, but they pro- 

 bably belong to this species. 



(3) E. sharpei, Hartert. 



<$ . Beneath similar to E. bicolor, but the black above 

 confined to the forehead and sides of the head; back and 

 rump paler, a little more shaded with greyish ; the black of 



[28] 



