BIRDS 331 



in April and on Abingdon, Bindloe and Tower in June. This 

 shows that with the adults there is a moult after the breeding 

 season. 



The adult females resemble those of G.fuliginosa and G.fortis 

 in color of plumage, but the bill is generally more or less pale below. 

 Females taken in April and June are moulting; the one taken on 

 Narboro in March is not. 



All of the young birds in the collection except one were taken in 

 June. All of these, except one male from Tower, are in Stage II. 

 The one that is not is in a condition between Stages IV and V ; the 

 upper mandible is black ; the lower mandible is black on the sides, 

 yellowish below. One young female from Narboro was taken in 

 January. It has the plumage of the adult, but the lower mandible 

 is pinkish-yellow. 



A nest of this species containing a set of five eggs was secured on 

 Narboro April 5. It was placed a few feet above the ground in the 

 forks of a small bush. In shape it resembles the nests of other Geo- 

 spizce already described. It is composed exteriorly of plant stems in- 

 terwoven with lichens and a few grasses, and is lined scantily with 

 bark fibers, finer grasses and a few lichens. The height of the nest 

 is one hundred and fifty millimeters, its width one hundred and sixty, 

 the depth of the interior one hundred and twenty, and the diameter of 

 the entrance five. 



The eggs have a pale greenish-white ground color, with a few 

 grayish shell marks and numerous brownish blotches, heaviest about 

 the larger end. Dimensions: 23 x 17.5, 23 x 17, 23.5 x 17, 23.5 x 

 17, 23.5 x 17. 



The song of this species was not often heard. One bird was ob- 

 served singing at James Bay on James Island. The song had a very 

 pleasing sound, differing considerably from the ordinary Geospiza 



notes. It may be represented as follows: teuw ~e It-leur. 



The first greatly prolonged syllable was indistinctly divided into two 

 parts, the second one with the ^-sound being the part specially pro- 

 longed. The sound of the first syllable was smooth and continuous, 

 but the second syllable was abruptly different from the preceding. It 

 was slightly prolonged, had a very pure tone, and ended with a rising 

 inflection. 



The following table shows that the specimens from Narboro have a 

 somewhat smaller bill and smaller wing than most of the others. 

 More specimens from this island might indicate a separate subspecies 

 for Narboro. 



