Vol. 5, p. 175-176. December 18, 1925. 



Occasional Papers 



OF THE 



Boston Society of Natural History. 



A NEW GRACKLE FROM ST. VINCENT, LESSER ANTILLES. 



BY JAMES L. PETERS. 



In a review of the genus Holoquiscalus (The Auk, vol. 38, 1921, 

 p. 453), I discussed briefly the status of the St. Vincent Grackle 

 {Holoquiscalus fortirostris dispar Clark) and hazarded the surmise 

 that two representatives of the genus might be found to occur on 

 that island. The material available at that time consisted only 

 of the three skins taken in 1903 by Clark, a male and two females, 

 one of the latter being his type of dispar. Both females are very 

 close to H . fortirostris (Lawrence), a species characterized by small 

 size, plumage but slightly glossed, a short, nearly straight bill, and 

 also by the fact that the female is similar in color to the male, but 

 duller. The one male, on the other hand, is much nearer the 

 lugubris group, in which the size is greater, the plumage strongly 

 glossed, and the bill longer and more strongly decurved, and in 

 which the female is recognizable by its much grayer appearance. 



During a short visit to St. Vincent in February, 1925, I took 

 two male and two female Holoquiscalus, which, upon comparison 

 with the three specimens previously referred to, confirmed my 

 early suspicions. The females are very different from the type of 

 dispar, being strikingly similar to the females of races of H. 

 lugubris found on the islands both north and south of St. Vincent. 

 The two males are in no way different from Clark's male, a bird 

 that I was unable to place conclusively in my review of the genus. 



Thus it appears that there are actually two species of Holoquis- 

 calus occurring on St. Vincent — one of the fortirostris group of 

 which only the female has ever been described, and one of the lu- 

 gubris group which does not appear to have received a name at all. 



This new race I propose to call 



Holoquiscalus lugubris contrusus, subsp. nov. 



Type.— No. 99986, Museum of Comparative Zoology, adult female, from base 

 of Bonhomme Mountains (1700 ft.), St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles. Collected 

 February 26, 1925, by James L. Peters (orig. no. 4966). 



Characters. — Adult female similar to the female oi H. I. inflexirostris (Swain- 

 son), but smaller and much darker; upper parts with a distinct sooty wash 

 becoming black on the rump and upper tail-coverts, and somewhat glossed on 

 the interscapular region; under parts shading from deep mouse gray on the 

 abdomen to light mouse gray on the throat. 



The male is identical with the male of H. I. inflexirostris in coloration but 

 differs in smaller size. 



Measurements.— Males: wing, 119.5, 115, 112; tail, 113, 108, 107.5; bill (from 

 base of forehead), 31.5, 31, 30.5. Females: wing, 102 1, 99; tail, 93 5^ 86- bill 

 29.5 S 29. ' • » , > 



' Type. 



DEC 2\) .3?5 



