V0l ; 9 o 5 XI1 ] Riley. Birds of Bahama Islands. 357 



Eleuthera, July 6, and caught the parent alive with his hand on the nest. 

 The nest contained three heavily incubated eggs with a creamy white 

 ground, covered rather evenly with small spots and streaks of two shades 

 of vinaceous. They measure 28.3 by 20.4, 28.5 by 20, and 28.5 by 20.4 

 mm. respectively. 



Gundlach says (Orn. Cubana, 1895, 53) that the type of Cabanis's M. 

 gundlacki came from the Cajo Santa Maria, off the northern coast of 

 Cuba, where it was probably a straggler, as Gundlach apparently did not 

 meet with it again in a wild state. Mr. Ridgway has discriminated two 

 forms, a northern and a southern. Bryant's name applies to the north- 

 ern form. 



50. Margarops fuscatus {Vieillot). Pearly-eyed Thrush. — Not un- 

 common on Rum Cay and Watlings Island, but much rarer on Long 

 Island. These birds keep to the thick brush and are rarely seen in the 

 open, but they have a beautiful song, much superior to that of Mimus 

 gundlachi, which makes their presence known. They appear to be very 

 shy and dart to cover at the least alarm if they happen to be away from 

 it. One was seen in hot pursuit of a Gray Kingbird on Rum Cay that 

 seemed only too glad to escape by flight. Irides yellowish-white. 



51. Mimocichla plumbea {Linn.). Bahama Red-legged Thrush. — 

 Found sparingly on New Providence, Eleuthera, and Cat Island. Keeps 

 to the thicker cover and is rarely seen. Sings perched in the top of the 

 taller trees, and while the song is not bad, it is far inferior to that of 

 Margarops. A nest, composed of palmetto strips and rootlets, was 

 found, July 7, on Eleuthera, about seven feet from the ground in the 

 crown of a paw-paw tree. It contained three young just from the egg. 

 The local name for this thrush is "Blue Thrasher" and on Cat Island 

 "Blue Jay." Tarsi and ring of skin directly around the eye, coral red. 



52. Polioptila caerulea caesiogaster Ridgway. Bahama Gnatcat- 

 cher. — A male was 'squeaked up' and shot on New Providence, June 19, 

 in the pines. After shooting the male three young barely able to fly were 

 discovered, and though I waited around for some time and returned to the 

 same place next day, nothing was seen of the female. 



53. Vireosylva calidris barbatulus (Cabanis). Black-whiskered 

 Vireo. — Common on New Providence, Eleuthera, and Long Island. 

 Has a monotonous song resembling that of V. olivaceus but is probably 

 on the whole better. 



54. Vireo crassirostris {Bryant). Bahama Vireo. 



55. Vireo crassirostris flavescens Ridgway. Yellow Bahama Vireo. 

 — Vireos of either one or the other of these forms were rather common in 

 the thick brush on all the islands visited. In habits and song they resem- 

 ble Vireo noveboracensis, but the notes are more varied and of endless 

 variety. One of the commonest notes heard sounds something like chip- 

 ckeree. The irides are brown. Our specimens are either crassirostris, 

 flavescens, or intermediates, and seem to throw no light on the status of 

 the two forms, as the following list of specimens will show : 



