Vot. Il, Pr. 11] GIFFORD—BIRDS OF THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS 213 
viz., the thick, almost impenetrable fern belt crowning the 
summit of Abingdon. On the south side of Indefatigable they 
were found in the moist zone, although not to such an extent 
as in the dry. Ona rainy day in the higher part of the moist 
zone they were certainly wet and bedraggled creatures. On 
James they were observed from the seashore to the top of the 
island. On southeast Albemarle they were seen in the arid, 
the forested humid, and the grassy humid belts, and also in 
the great crater, the vegetation of which is rather that of 
the arid belt. They were noted sparingly on the lower slopes 
of Iguana Cove Mountain, Albemarle. On the east side of 
Cowley Mountain, Albemarle, they were seen as high as 2500 
feet, which is in the arid belt. On Tagus Cove Mountain, Albe- 
marle, they were not noticed commonly above 1500 feet ele- 
vation. On Banks Bay Mountain, Albemarle, they were seen 
as high as we went, 2100 feet. On Abingdon they were noted 
in both the arid and humid belts on the south side of the 
island. On Narborough they were observed in the arid region 
to the north of the great mountain, and they doubtless also 
occur at high elevations in the humid belt. Occasionally they 
were noticed in mangrove swamps, and they commonly fre- 
quented the sea beaches and the neighboring brush. On James 
they were noted among the rocks at low tide, while on Bind- 
loe they were as common along tie seashore as inland. 
Their walk and flight is the same as that of the other spe- 
cies of the genus. 
The food of this species proved to be varied. Among ex- 
ceptional things they ate might be mentioned tortoise fat and 
lizards. One which stayed about our camp on the west side 
of Tagus Cove Mountain took a dead lizard I threw to it. 
The bird carried the lizard away a few yards, and then pro- 
ceeded to devour it, first puncturing it with repeated stabs of 
its beak. Some, which we kept alive on board the vessel on 
the homeward voyage until off the coast of Baja California, 
enjoyed live cockroaches and dermestes very much, taking 
them from our fingers. 
The song of the mockingbirds of this species on Barring- 
ton was noticeably different from that of the Chatham Island 
Mockingbird. The Black-eared Mockingbird was heard in 
song during every month except February, May, and June, 
