CHERRIE : ORNITHOLOGY OF THE ORINOCO REGION. 191 



ASTRAGALINUS PSAi/TRiA coLUMBiANus (Laf resnaye) . 

 Chrysomitris columbiana Lafr., Rev. Zool. 1843. P- 2 9 2 - 

 Spinus mexicanus columbianus Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 27. 



On my first expedition to the Orinoco a fair series, representing 

 birds in adult and in immature plumages, was collected, partly at 

 Altagracia and partly at Caicara. Specimens were collected in De- 

 cember, February, March and June. Only a single example was 

 secured on the two recent expeditions. 



SICALIS FLAVEOLA (Linnaeus). 



Fringilla flavcola L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12. I. 1766. p. 321. 

 Sycalis flaveola Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 27. 



Native name Arrocero grande. Field observations and specimens 

 before me leave no doubt that the adult female of this species is like 

 the adult male. A female taken at Ciudad Bolivar, April loth, can 

 be distinguished from the male taken at the same place and date only 

 by the presence of faint dusky shaft streaks in the feathers of the 

 back. But three of the apparently adult males taken at Caicara show 

 the same dusky streaks on the back, so that it is not improbable that 

 with age the adult males and females will be absolutely indistinguish- 

 able. The series before me also shows that breeding begins before 

 the females have attained the adult plumage. A female taken June 

 I4th was brooding (as indicated by the condition of the abdomen). 

 This bird is a rather light yellowish olive-green above. The feathers 

 of the back are marked with dusky brownish streaks, top of head 

 greyish olive with dusky shaft streaks; wing-coverts like the back; 

 quills and rectrices dusky brownish, edged with the color of the back. 

 Lores and side of face greyish, interspersed with wax yellow feathers; 

 throat and upper breast wax yellow forming a broad band ; breast and 

 abdomen greyish white, palest on abdomen where there are a few 

 canary yellow feathers. Under tail-coverts canary yellow ; axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts lemon yellow ; inner edges of quills pale yel- 

 low. 



In 1905 a. nest of this species, found May 25th, occupied a deserted 

 woodpecker's hole at the top of a dead palm stub about 7.6 m. 

 from the ground. A little dead grass had been taken in as nesting 

 material. Both parents were present, and indistinguishable in color, 

 one from the other. The male was collected (No. 13,732, Geo. K. 

 Cherrie, Caicara, Venezuela). Only one egg, perfectly fresh, was found 



