CHERRIE: ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 14! 



Native name Paraulata. Common everywhere on the savannas, 

 frequenting the small clumps of trees and more open thickets. The 

 habits are similar to those of our own mocking-bird, although it is 

 perhaps less shy. Nests are frequently built in the immediate vicin- 

 ity of the native ranch houses. 



At San Mateo de Caicara on May 22, 1905, three fresh eggs were 

 taken from a nest, found in a small tree, about 1.5 m. from the ground. 

 The tree stood alone, close to a house and the nest was in plain view 

 from all sides. The eggs are marked with reddish brown spots, which 

 in two of them were so thickly set as to nearly obscure the pale blu- 

 ish green ground color. The third egg is rather sparsely spotted, 

 except about the larger end, and the color of the spots is darker, while 

 the ground is a richer bluish green. The eggs are ovate in form and 

 measure 25.5 x 19.75 > 2 &- 2 x J 9-75 an d 2 5-5 x T 9-5 mm - Four days 

 elapsed after the completion of the nest before any eggs were laid, 

 then one egg was deposited every twenty-four hours. 



A nest taken by the writer at Quiribana de Caicara, April 21, 

 1898, was found in a low bush at the edge of the open savanna about 

 91.5 cm. from the ground. It was constructed of coarse dry sticks 

 lined with dry grasses and rootlets. The eggs taken with this nest 

 measure "27 x 19.5 ; 25.6 x 19.5 ; and 25.6 x 19.8 mm." 1 



Another nest found May 25, 1898, was in a dense clump of thorny 

 bushes at the edge of the open savanna. This nest was only 61 cm. from 

 the ground. 



At Caicara on the 6th day of May, 1907, a nest with three eggs 

 was taken that was similarly placed to that of the .last, only about 

 61 cm. up in a thicket of thorny palm stems. Incubation had begun, 

 and was much further advanced in one egg than in the other two. 

 The eggs measure 27.4 x 19.5 ; 27.5 x 20. and 27.75 x 19 mm. Com- 

 pared with the set first described the markings are somewhat darker 

 and in larger spots. In the smallest of the three eggs the markings 

 are uniformly distributed over the entire surface and very thickly set. 

 In the largest egg the markings are lightest in color, fewest in number 

 and clustered most about the larger end. 



Eggs of the Colombia Mocking-bird are indistinguishable from 

 those of either Planesticus albiventer or P. gymnophthalmus. 



A male in Juvenal plumage taken at Caicara, June 2, 1905, has a 

 greyish eye and dusky bill and feet. It is smoke grey above, clear on 



'Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 3- 



