Chrysotis canifrous of Lawrence. 103 



for Parrots of the genus Chrysotis. When I first shot one I 

 labelled it " C. canifrons, Lawr./-" as the description seemed 

 fairly to agree with the characters of my bird. It was not 

 until I studied the species in Europe that I became quite 

 sure that my Aruban birds could not be distinguished from 

 C. ochroptera (Gm.). 



As my specimens have " a faint ashy hue '' on the fore- 

 head, lores, and chin, and one seen in captivity on Aruba 

 had these parts much more grey ; moreovei', as I have 

 specimens of the closely allied species (C rothschildi) from 

 Bonaire with some ashy feathers on the forehead and others 

 (no doubt of the same species) without this colour ; again, 

 as from my investigations on Aruba I cannot believe that 

 this small, bare, and rocky island is the home of a second 

 species of Chrysotis; and finally, as I could not make out 

 that Mr, Lawrence's description differs in any important 

 particulars from my birds, I ventured to refer his name to 

 C. ochroptera (Gm.). 



I may now be allowed to criticize the points in Mr. Law- 

 rence^s description which he considers to show differences 

 from C. ochroptera. 



1. " In C. canifrons the chin and upper part of the throat 

 are greyish ash, the sides of the head dull yellow ; these 

 parts in C. ochroptera are 'rich yellow with rosy orange 

 bases."^ I have said before that specimens of C. ochro- 

 ptera and of C. rothschildi occur with ashy feathers on 

 these parts, and all have there a faint ashy hue, so that, in 

 my opinion, this character has not much significance. The 

 rosy-orange bases are not mentioned in any description of 

 C. ochroptera now before me, and are also ignored in the 

 'Catalogue of Birds,' although they are always present in 

 C. ochroptera, as well as in the Mexican and several other 

 yellow-headed species of the genus. They are to be seen 

 only when the feathers are lifted up, which is not always 

 done when birds are described, and to which live birds 

 often object, so that it is not improbable that Mr. Lawrence, 

 like so many others, did not notice this character in his 

 C. canifrons. 



