﻿296 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  Hartert 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  

  

  thornus. 
  This 
  is 
  another 
  reason 
  for 
  considering 
  the 
  Curasao 
  

   bird 
  merely 
  a 
  subspecies. 
  The 
  measurements 
  of 
  my 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  ^ 
  ad. 
  sect. 
  Aruba^ 
  23 
  vi. 
  Culmen 
  0*9 
  inch^ 
  wing 
  3"9. 
  

  

  ^ 
  ad. 
  sect. 
  Aruba, 
  1 
  vii. 
  Culmen 
  0*88 
  inch, 
  wing 
  3"8. 
  

  

  (^ 
  sect. 
  Cura9ao, 
  8 
  vi. 
  Culmen 
  1 
  inch, 
  wing 
  3*7. 
  

  

  $ 
  sect. 
  Cura9ao, 
  13 
  vi. 
  Culmen 
  1*05 
  inch, 
  wing 
  3'5. 
  

  

  $ 
  sect. 
  Cura9ao, 
  14 
  vi. 
  Culmen 
  1*06 
  inch, 
  wing 
  3" 
  7. 
  

  

  ? 
  sect. 
  Curagao, 
  16 
  vi. 
  Culmen 
  1 
  inch, 
  wing 
  3*5. 
  

  

  $ 
  sect. 
  Cura9ao, 
  3 
  viii. 
  Culmen 
  1*05 
  inch, 
  wing 
  3'7. 
  

  

  It 
  is, 
  I 
  think, 
  very 
  interesting 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  from 
  Aruba, 
  

   the 
  island 
  nearest 
  to 
  the 
  continent, 
  agree 
  better 
  with 
  the 
  

   continental 
  form 
  than 
  those 
  from 
  Cura9ao. 
  The 
  bird 
  is 
  

   equally 
  common 
  on 
  all 
  three 
  islands, 
  but 
  only 
  where 
  it 
  finds 
  

   sufficient 
  trees 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  build 
  its 
  long 
  hanging 
  nest. 
  I 
  

   have 
  not 
  procured 
  skins 
  from 
  Bonaire, 
  but 
  the 
  birds 
  there 
  

   agree 
  with 
  those 
  from 
  Cura9ao. 
  I 
  got 
  an 
  egg 
  on 
  the 
  22nd 
  

   of 
  July 
  on 
  Bonaire. 
  The 
  colour 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  bluish 
  white, 
  

   sparingly 
  covered 
  with 
  long 
  and 
  fine 
  deeper 
  lying 
  cinereous 
  

   hair-lines 
  and 
  overlaid 
  patches 
  and 
  lines, 
  like 
  Arabian 
  letters, 
  

   of 
  a 
  deep 
  purplish 
  brown, 
  more 
  frequent 
  on 
  the 
  thicker 
  end. 
  

   It 
  measures 
  0'93 
  x 
  0*67 
  inch, 
  and 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  250 
  

   milligramms. 
  

  

  The 
  bird 
  is 
  sometimes 
  kept 
  in 
  captivity, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  much 
  

   appreciated. 
  Its 
  piping 
  notes 
  are 
  less 
  clear 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  

   Icterus 
  vulgaris, 
  and 
  they 
  produce 
  many 
  screeching 
  and 
  

   mewing 
  sounds. 
  Herr 
  Peters 
  (J. 
  f. 
  O. 
  1892, 
  p. 
  114) 
  thinks 
  

   that 
  the 
  Curacao 
  form 
  has 
  a 
  different 
  note 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   continental 
  1. 
  xanthornus, 
  but 
  this 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  imagination. 
  

   I 
  have 
  heard 
  the 
  /. 
  xanthornus 
  , 
  and 
  both, 
  without 
  doubt, 
  

   *' 
  speak 
  the 
  same 
  language.'"' 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  " 
  papiamento 
  '^ 
  — 
  the 
  mixed 
  dialect 
  of 
  Spanish, 
  

   Portuguese, 
  and 
  Dutch 
  spoken 
  on 
  these 
  islands 
  — 
  this 
  bird 
  

   is 
  called 
  " 
  Trupial 
  cacho," 
  i. 
  e. 
  Dog-Trupial. 
  On 
  Aruba 
  it 
  is 
  

   called 
  " 
  Gonzalito." 
  

  

  The 
  sexes 
  in 
  the 
  adult 
  bird 
  are 
  alike, 
  but 
  young 
  birds 
  have 
  

   greenish-olive 
  tails. 
  They 
  seem 
  to 
  retain 
  the 
  immature 
  

   plumage 
  for 
  some 
  years, 
  as 
  has 
  beeu 
  stated 
  by 
  Baird 
  (B. 
  N. 
  

  

  