196 BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. SCIENCE BULLETIN 2. 6. 



Caicara. They were sent to the Tring Museum and recorded in the 

 Berlepsch and Hartert paper. That is the only record I have for this 

 species in over three years' work in the valley of the Orinoco. 



MYOSPIZA MANIMBE (Lichtenstein). 

 Fringilla Manimbe Licht., Verz. Doubl. 1823. p. 25. 

 Myospiza manimbe Berlepsch & Hartert, p. 28. 



Abundant in the open savanna regions. Called Ratonera by the 

 natives from its habit of running about between the tufts of grass and 

 concealing itself by crouching down close to the ground. 



An adult taken at Ciudad Bolivar, April 4th, had the eye vandyke 

 brown; bill above dusky, below cinereous; feet pale. 



A male bird was flushed from a nest found at Caicara May 22, 

 1905. The nest was on the ground at the foot of a bunch of rather 

 long grass that drooped over and partially concealed it. It was 

 constructed entirely of dry grasses loosely put together. Incuba- 

 tion had just begun in the three delicate, pure white and slightly 

 glossy eggs. The eggs are short ovate in form and measure 

 18.25 x 14.5, 18.5 x 14.5 and 18.5 x 14.5 mm. 



A second nest and set of eggs 1 of this species was taken at Las 

 Guacas on the San Feliz River (a tributary of the Cuchivero) May 17, 

 1907. This nest also was on the ground at the foot of a tussock of 

 grass which completely concealed it. The female flushing from 

 almost beneath my feet disclosed the nest, which is an almost perfect 

 sphere of soft dry grasses with the entrance on one side. The nest 

 measures 8.5 cm. in diameter outside, the entrance to the nest cavity 

 about 3.5 cm. in diameter and the nest cavity about 6 cm. The 

 eggs, two in number, were fresh. They are pure white in color, be- 

 tween an ovate and a short ovate in form and measure 19 x 14.5 and 

 18.25 x T 4-5 mm - 



This species was observed by the writer at all points visited on 

 the Orinoco. Klages sent a series to the American Museum that 

 were collected at Maripa on the Caura River during the months of 

 December, January, February, March and April. These, compared with 

 a series from other points in South America, such as Matto Grosso, 

 Bahia, Bogota, and Apolobamba, Bolivia, seem in every way similar. 



1 Allen, Bull. Am. Mus. III. 1891. p. 374, describes two sets of eggs as belonging to this species, but says 

 they are white with a delicate wreath of small spots of blackish brown and purplish lavender around th e 

 larger end. The measurements of two eggs are given as ".77 x .56 (19.56 x 22 mm.) and .65 x .55 (i 1.31 x 

 13.97 mm.). 



It is- possible that some sets of eggs of this species are marked as above, but I am strongly of the opinion 

 that the specimens described by Dr. Allen were incorrectly identified. 



