128 LIFE-HISTORIES OF BIRDS 



Various small beetles, diptera, and spiders, con- 

 stitute its bill of fare. Cymindis viridipennis, Cra- 

 tonychus cinereus, Donacia metallica, Harpalus 

 corn-par i Tabanus lineloa, Culex tceniorkynchus, and 

 aphides, are eagerly devoured. 



Their temporary stay, though brief, is unmarked 

 by the slightest trace of song; not even a single 

 call-note is uttered. 



It is very improbable that this species nidificates 

 in the United States, although an egg obtained in 

 Coventry, Vt, in 1836, has been attributed to this 

 bird, from its resemblance to identified specimens 

 from Jamaica. In this island they frequent the 

 mangrove-swamps and river-banks for food, 

 during the early part of their visit, but repair to 

 the highlands for nidificating purposes. 



In his ornithological notes of this island, W. T. 

 March, Esq., describes the nests as possessing 

 long and deep cavities, and being wrought of .long 

 and thin strips of flexible bark, stoutly and firmly 

 interwoven, with an intermingling of lichens, 

 mosses, and bark of deciduous trees. Interiorly, 

 there is a lining of finer and more delicate strips 

 than are found in the exterior. They measured 

 three and one-fourth inches in diameter, and two 

 and one-half in height. 



The eggs are oval in configuration, slightly acu- 

 minate at one end, with various shades and tints 

 of brown and purple blotchings upon a pinkish- 

 white background, which are chiefly arranged in 

 the form of an annuhis about the larger end. 



