the Birds of Grand Cayman. 31 



the former being greyish -white, while the spots were grey 

 and brown. As is the case with Mimus orpheus, and, it 

 would seem, with other builders of op^n nests in Grand 

 Cayman, this bird did not sit at all regularly during the 

 hottest part of the day, until incubation was well advanced. 

 The eggs were hatched on the 29th, but again the young 

 ones disappeared when they were only a few days old. 



Melopyrrha taylori is by no means a rare bird in the 

 north of the island, where it is known as the " Black 

 Sparrow " and has the reputation of being a songster, 

 though whether it really sings the song attributed to it 

 seems a little doubtful. As might be expected from its 

 powei'ful beak, its food seems to consist largely of hard seeds, 

 including those of Thrinax argentea, the ''Thatch palm ^' of 

 Grand Cayman, which are of a hardness almost stony. Its 

 abandoned nests are not uncommon, but the writer never 

 managed to see its eggs. They are said to be "like a Yellow 

 bird's [Dendropca petechia ouricapilla), but with very dark 

 spots." 



The nest is a covered one, rather large, and roughly made 

 of fibre and grass, with an entrance high up at one end. 

 Outwardly it is not unlike the nest of a branch-building 

 House-Sparrow in appearance, but it has no lining. One of 

 these nests, just built, was found on the 29th of December, 

 191 2, about twelve feet from the ground in a slender bush. 

 It was difficult to get at without damage being done which 

 might make the birds desert it, bat, as a road was near, 

 this was not impossible, and it was examined on the 2nd, 

 9th, and 23rd of January, and was found to be empty on 

 each occasion, though the birds were about, as they were 

 on the 7th of February. Three months later, on the 16th 

 of May, they were found to be feeding a brood of young- 

 ones, and on the 22nd these had flown. 



Euethia olivacea seems to wander about Grand Cayman 

 in small parties, staying for a few days wherever there 

 happens to be grass with ripe seeds. A nest of this bird 

 containing three eggs was found on the 18th of June, 1912, 

 about a foot from the ground in a low bush. The nest was 



