BIRDS 279 



of the mangrove swamps of Albemarle and Narboro. The songs of 

 the two species are, however, very different. That of G. pallida, as 

 we heard it on James, may be represented thus : chtr-kee e-e-e chir- 

 kee e-e-e. It is a rare bird, the two specimens above described are the 

 only ones we obtained. 



54. GEOSPIZA HELIOBAT£S Snodgrass and Heller. 



Geospiza heliobates Snodgrass and Heller, The Condor, p. 96, Aug., 1901 

 (Albemarle Island). 



Range. — Albemarle and Narboro in mangrove swamps. 



Specific Characters. — Very similar to G. pallida, resembling it 

 in coloration, but having a smaller bill — the culmen being 15.5 milli- 

 meters or less in length, while in G. pallida it is 17 millimeters or 

 more in length. 



Adult Male. — Cat. No. 4186 {type of the species), Leland Stan- 

 ford Junior University Museum ; mangrove swamp at Tagus Cove, 

 Albemarle Island, Jan. 24, 1899. Above dark brown with an olive 

 tinge on the rump ; all of the feathers of the dorsum with narrow pale 

 olive-grayish edgings ; wing and tail feathers lighter, more smoky- 

 brown ; lores, sides of head and under parts dirty buff -gray ; brownish- 

 buff on the sides and flanks ; lores spotted with brown ; feathers of the 

 breast and sides with dark brown central areas forming spots of the 

 same color. Tips of the greater and the middle wing coverts rather 

 indistinctly brownish-rufous, forming two inconspicuous cross bands. 

 Under wing coverts grayish ; under tail coverts brownish-buff with 

 pale grayish edgings. Under surface of wing and tail feathers grayish- 

 brown. Bill black. Feet dark brown. Length 123 millimeters, 

 wing 72, tail 48.5, culmen 15, gonys 8, width of bill at base 6.5, 

 depth of bill at base 9, tarsus 21.5. 



There is a slight variation in the paleness of the under parts in dif- 

 ferent specimens of adult males, some being slightly paler than the 

 type. Some also have a slightly more olive tinge to the plumage of 

 the back. There is present in a few specimens a very distinct gray 

 superciliary stripe ending behind the eye above the auricular region ; 

 in others this stripe is less distinctly marked or entirely absent. There 

 is no distinguishing difference between the Albemarle and Narboro 

 specimens. 



Adult Female. — Female specimens having the plumage very much 

 worn are almost identical in coloration with the males, but generally 

 have fewer and smaller spots below. Above, the plumage is blackish 

 on the head, almost pure olive-brown on the back, with the central 



