I 2 A. Scott on the Birds of Jamaica. [April 



on Lime Cay near Port Royal. Eggs vary from dull white to reddish 

 white, and mav be found between the months of February and July." 



io6. Columbigallina passerina {I^i'tm.). Ground Dove. — Common 

 resident species, but not reaching up in the hills above five hundred feet. 

 The subjoined notes of Mr. Taylor's show the near affinity of the Jamaican 

 to the North American representatives in habits. The series that was 

 collected during my stay on the island presents a race of birds that show 

 little individual variation, but which differ markedh' from Florida indi- 

 viduals. Both sexes are much paler, but especially the females, and the 

 scaled appearance of the breast is much more striking and somewhat more 

 extended. In size the birds are smaller than Florida individuals. So far 

 these birds seem to agree very well with the C.p. bahameusis (Mayn.), but 

 of all the individuals before me from the Island of Jamaica, soine forty-one 

 in number, only six (all females) have dusky bills, and in thirty-five ex- 

 amples (about equally divided as to sex) the yellow or orange base of the 

 bill is very conspicuous. It seems, however, with the present material, 

 better to leave fine discriminations in this group till more individuals 

 from different points are available. From Mr. Taylor's notes I quote as 

 follows: "Very abundant everywhere, but especially in the beds of the 

 gullies "or dry water-courses where little companies of from two to six 

 or eight may be found feeding at almost any time of day. Their food 

 in such places seems to consist entirely of the minute seeds of a shrub 

 very common in all dry places, and known to the negro boys as 'vica.' 

 The nest is invariably built on trees, usually at a good height; ma- 

 terials are merely a few slight twigs arranged to form a platform, and 

 the eggs can be nearly always seen from beneath. Often the deserted 

 nest of some other bird is used, and I once found a Ground Dove 

 sitting on two eggs in the nest of a Mockingbird. Another favorite 

 site is on the top, or in the fork, of a clump of cactus, but what appears 

 to me the most remarkable situation for a nest is where the bird took 

 advantage of a slight depression on top of a pendent tuft of tillandsia, 

 'old-man's beard,' and, after adding a few bits of grass, deposited two 

 eggs. The presence of the sitting bird alone discovered the nest. When 

 discovered sitting, or when young are in the nest, the old birds endeavor 

 by falling to the ground and feigning lameness to draw the intruder away 

 from the vicinity, and the same manners are practised by the White-wing. 

 The Ground Dove is among the earliest breeders. I have seen nearly 

 fledged young in March and April and have taken fresh eggs as late as 

 June and July, so that more than one brood is probably reared in a 

 season." 



107. Geotrygon montana {Linn.). Ruddy Quail-dove. Partridge 

 Dove. Mountain Partridge. — Several times while at Stony Hill, and 

 afterward quite commonly near Priestman's River, I met with this species. 

 Adults taken on January 24 had just completed the moult. At the same 

 time the testes in the males were large, but not fully developed to the 

 size assumed during the breeding season. Males taken February 7 had 

 the testes fully developed. By February 20 the birds were breeding, 



