THE OSPREY. 45 



THE CARIB GRASSQUIT {EUETHEIA BICOLOK OMISSA.) 

 By B. S. BowDiSH. 



This 'iprightly littlo Sparrow is abundant ovcry whoro in Porto Rico where 

 I wont except on the smaller islands. In the island of Vieques it is the most 

 abundant of the small birds and when the early morning sun is scintillating in 

 a thousand diamond-like reflections from the dew-spangled foliage the hardly 

 musical but nevertheless cheerful song of the (xrassquit resounds from every 

 bush-top. 



The song is rather wheezy and insect-like, the alarm notes, sparrow-like 

 though sharp, are less so than those of many sparrows and are readily distin- 

 guishable. 



While particularly partial to the weedy and bush-grown fence- lines, road- 

 sides and ditches, I have often met them in the thickest woods, and have 

 a record of two nests in such situations, the nests built in a bank of climbing 

 grass, referred to further on. 



The food is almost entirely vegetable, chiefly grass and small weed-seeds. 



The typical nest is globular with an entrance on the side about large 

 enough to admit the bird, but sometimes this is (^uite large as in the specimen 

 illustrated, and in extreme cases of poor architecture occupies about half of 

 the side and top. They generally resemble nests of Ccereha jJortoriceiisis but 

 are less bulky, and often less well built. They are situated from ten or 

 twelve inches above ground, in clumps of grass and weeds, to twelve or fifteen 

 feet, in trees, but by far the greater number are less than ten feet, usually not 

 more than four or five. They are often little concealed, sometimes occupying 

 quite conspicuous sites. 



In one case a bank of climbing grass was growing in a dense wall among 

 the trees in quite thick woods on a hill in the island of Vieques. A nest was 

 built into this wall of grass with nothing but the twig opening to reveal it, 

 being built entirely of grass and well concealed. Only the bird leaving as the 

 grass was jarred revealed its location. 



This nest with three incubated eggs was collected November 30, 1899, 

 and December 30 just one month later another nest had been placed in the 

 same spot and contained three fre.sh eggs. It is unusual for the Grassquit to 

 build again where a nest has been disturbed. 



I submit here the essential data of twenty -eight nests giving as they do 

 the best possible idea regarding breeding; 1-3 Vieques, Nov. 15, '99. Fresh. 

 Nest: fine grasses, rootlets and skeleton leaves, 7 feet from the ground in fork 

 of bush in pasture. 2-2 Vieques, Nov. 19, '99. Fresh. Nest: fine rootlets, 

 weeds and skleton leaves, 6 feet up in small bush by roadside. 3-3 Vieques, Nov. 

 19, '99. Heavily incubated. Nest: fine rootlets, weeds, skeleton leaves and 



