2Q2 Ci^XKV., Habits of Certain Ve7tezuelan Birds. Lj"ly 



oriole known as the Troupial {Icterus icterus Linn.). They were 

 particularly noticeable in the hot coast region, where they were a 

 welcome offset to the discouraging presence of the black vulture. 

 Their loud but cheerful song consists of three notes, the first 

 rather low, the second high, and the third intermediate. The 

 word "troupial" accented on the middle syllable is a good 

 onomatopoetic rendering of it. I was unable to find their nests. 



Another common bird, resembling the troupial in many ways, 

 although less energetic, is the Margaritan Oriole {Icterus xanth- 

 ornus heliocides Clark) . This bird has precisely the same notes as the 

 other but less loud, and pitched a trifle higher. The males seemed to 

 me to be considerably brighter and more strongly orange than any 

 I had ever seen in collections, an observation which was found to 

 be true on comparing my specimens with others from different 

 localities. Their nests are commonly seen constructed after the 

 manner of those of our common oriole, and placed near the tip 

 of the long cocoanut fronds. 



The lagoons bordering the island, especially a few miles to the 

 eastward of Porlamar, formed the abiding place of many shore 

 birds and terns, while on the edges of the mangrove swamps 

 herons of many species could be seen. The commonest of the 

 terns was a large one which I took to be the Sooty Tern {Sterna 

 fuUgiuosa Gmel.). This was seen in immense flocks, wheeling 

 about over the shallow water, showing now black, now white, 

 according as their white breasts or black backs were visible. I 

 also met with them afterwards at different places among the West 

 Indies, but never in such numbers as at Margarita. 



One day while on the sandy plain near the coast, my attention 

 was attracted by a flock of about twenty very large birds, in the 

 form of a wedge flying in the direction of the lagoon which sepa- 

 rates the two parts of the island. Their size and actions suggested 

 geese; and it occurred to me that perhaps they were flamingoes. 

 Although these birds have never been recorded from this locality 

 the central lagoon and mangrove swamp seem to furnish a good 

 situation for them, and I should not be surprised if at some future 

 time specimens of them are obtained there. 



There was one other problem connected with the bird fauna of 

 Margarita which I was unable to solve. Near the top of a high 



