VoI 'i9i9 XVI ] Penard, Beebe's ' Tropical Wild Life: 223 



subject, no description of the home or eggs of these birds could be found, 

 and yet, in April and May, their nests were everywhere." H. Lloyd 

 Price, in his paper on " The Nests and Eggs of some common Guiana Birds " 

 (Timehri, 1891, p. 64), says in a general way, " Various species of small 

 finches or grass birds (Spermophila, etc.), build tiny nests in the long grass 

 growing at the sides of the trenches; they are generally made of dry grass, 

 and occasionally of dry sticks. The eggs, two in number, are of a greyish 

 white spotted with either red, brown or grey, and of various sizes." Much 

 more definite information in regard to the breeding habits, nests, and eggs 

 of the seed-eaters will be found in the works of F. P. and A. P. Penard, 

 Ihering, Euler, and Nehrkorn. We would call attention to the following 

 accounts pertaining to the species mentioned by Mr. Beebe: 



Oryzoborus angolensis brevirostris Berlepsch. — Nehrkorn (I. c, 

 p. 105) describes eggs from Brazil. Ihering (Rev. Mus. Paulista, 1900, 

 iv, p. 213) describes nest and eggs. F. P. and A. P. Penard (I. c. 1910, ii, 

 p. 388) ays that the nest is smallei than that of 0. crassirostris; the eggs 

 are fully described. All these authors deal with this species under the 

 name 0. torridus. 



Sporophila castaneiventris Cabanis. — Nehrkorn (I. c, p. 105) 

 describes eggs from Amazonia. F. P. and A. P. Penard (I. c, 1910, ii, 

 p. 389) describe habits, nest, and eggs fully. They add the following 

 interesting remarks (translated): "The examples vary very, much in 

 form and color as well as in measurements. In many the markings form 

 a distinct wreath about the larger end, others being uniformly covered 

 with gray-brown or brown. Those with wreathed ends are usually of a 

 more oval shape than the evenly covered eggs, but both types are often 

 found together in the same nest. It is thought [by the natives] that the 

 more pointed egg hatches the male, and the browner egg the female. 

 Eggs of a more spherical shape are less common with this species than 

 with the next [S. minuta}." 



Oryzoborus crassirostris crassirostris (Gmelin). — F. P. and 

 A. P. Penard (I. c. 1910, ii, p. 387) describe habits, nest, and eggs fully, 

 with similar remarks in regard to variations in shape and coloration of 

 eggs, both types sometimes being found in the same nest. 



Sporophila bouvronides (Lesson). F. P. and A. P. Penard (I. c, 

 1910, ii, p. 392, sub nom. S. ocellata) compare nest to that of S. minuta, 

 and eggs with those of S. castaneiventris, but say that the eggs of this species 

 average a little longer and also a little grayer, with remarks in regard to 

 the two types of eggs. 



In another chapter the author gives much interesting information 

 regarding the habits of Tinamous. By an ingenious experiment he 

 is led to the discovery that birds of the genus Tinamus sleep at 

 night in trees, while those of the genus Crypturus always pass the 

 night upon the ground. He accordingly correlates this difference 



