﻿536 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. loo 



To judge from gonadal condition of the specimen taken, pair 

 formation, and song, this finch was apparently breeding in July. 

 The song was a hard, loud, rising trill. 



SPOHOPEOLA MINUTA MINUTA (Linnaeus) 



Loxia minuta Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed, 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 176 (Surinam). 



SPECIMENS COLLECTED 



1 d', Caicara, December 18, 1945; gonads very small; iris dull brown; gizzard 

 contained small seeds. 



1 cf, Cantaura, April 17, 1947; gonads slightly enlarged; iris black. 



The Caicara bird, although sexed as a male, is in female plumage, 

 and may therefore be young. Both specimens are in worn plumage. 

 There is a great deal of unexplained variation in the plumages of this 

 seedeater. 



This species was rather common locally in the deciduous seasonal 

 woods edge at Cantaura and Caicara, being recorded in small flocks 

 throughout the year. Bii'ds in the adult male plumage were extremely 

 rare, and curiously enough, many in female plumage were often 

 heard m what was apparently full song. 



VOLATINIA lACAEINA SPLENDENS (Vieillot) 



Fringilla splendens Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., nouv. ed., vol. 12, 1817, 

 p. 173 (based on "Moineau de Cayenne" Daubenton, Planches enlumin^es, 

 pi, 224, fig. 3: Cayenne). 



specimens collected 



1 9 , Caicara, December 19, 1945; gonads not enlarged; iris dull brown; gizzard 



contained small seeds. 



1 d^, Cantaura, February 16, 1946; gonads very small; iris dark. 



The male is molting into the blue-black plumage. Both examples 

 have white axillars. 



This species was encountered in twos and threes, invariably in 

 overgrown weedy (not bushy) fields, especially in stands of 3- to 4- 

 foot-high sedge (?) locally called "carrizo". It was a common bird. 



Local name, "carricero," referring to the species' preference for 

 "carrizo." 



SPINUS PSALTKIA COLOMBIANUS (Lafresnaye) 



Carduelis colombianus Lafresnaye, Rev. Zool., vol. 6, 1843, p. 292 (Bogotd, 

 Colombia). 



specimens collected 



1 cf , 1 unsexed, Cantaura, December 29, 1947, and January 19, 1948; gonads 

 of c?" small; iris dark brown; bill blue-gray, feet black. 



1 cf, Caicara, November 4, 1947; gonads enlarged; gizzard contained seeds. 



The Caicara male is in very worn plumage and lacks the white 

 longitudinal markings on the inner secondaries; the Cantam-a male is 



