456 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



" Tongue. Short, broad, and thick ; split at the end. 



" This bird feeds on small, soft, seedy berries ; never eats grain or 

 seeds like sparrows or Canary birds. Has no song, except a low chatter- 

 ing when feeding, and a plaintive cry when flying or alighting." 



The female has the front of a lighter yellow than the male, and the 

 black border narrower ; the blue color on the head is not much different ; 

 sides of the head dull light green; upper plumage yellowish-green, 

 gradually becoming more yellow on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; 

 throat pale dull yellow ; under plumage greenish-yellow. 



In pattern of coloration the sexes are alike, but the male can be dis- 

 tinguished from the female by the front being of an orange-yellow, 

 and the black border which entirely surrounds this color being wider ; 

 the lores are black ; the cheek-patch is deep blackish-green ; the back 

 is dark bronze-green ; the rump is of a decided yellow, the throat of a 

 clearer yellow, and the under plumage of a much brighter yellow. 



This species was found in all the islands visited by Mr. Ober, except 

 Antigua and Barbuda; it would seem not to be abundant in any of 

 them, as in no instance were more than two examples obtained. Though 

 in certain localities it is not uncommon, as Mr. Ober wrote from Guade- 

 loupe that Dr. Colardeau informed him that sometimes it was quite 

 abundant on his estate. 



In Mr. Sclater's " Synopsis Avium Tanagrinum" (P. Z. S. 1856, p. 271), 

 the male is described as having black upper plumage. I fully expected 

 to receive some from Mr. Ober that were black above, and supposed 

 those marked male to be immature, though in fine condition. I wrote 

 to Mr. Ober, stating that the adult male was said to be black above, 

 and to try and obtain it in that plumage; he replied that he had met 

 with none so marked, and was informed by persons very familiar with 

 the bird — notably Dr. Colardeau — that they had never seen any having 

 black upper plumage. 



Mr. Sclater (1. c.) is the only one I know of who has described the 

 male; but at that time he considered Desmarest's types (2 and ¥) in 

 the Paris Museum (named by Bonaparte IJ. telateri) to be the same as 

 flavifrons. E. sclatrri is now known to be a distinct species, and I be- 

 lieve is found only in Porto Ilico; the male of this is black above. The 

 male of E. musica, from St. Domingo, also has the upper plumage black; 

 both of these have been somewhat mixed uj) with E. flavifrons, which 

 no doubt led to the supposition that the male of that species had the 

 upper plumage black. 



An examination of the specimens sent by Mr. Ober from the different 

 islands, together with the assertions of residents, I think, show con- 

 clusively that the adults of the two sexes are correctly described above. 



Latham's description is supposed to be that of the female ; but it is 

 not so stated. 



It may have been ascertained that the male of E. flavifrons had its 

 upper plumage green ; if so, I have never seen it so described. 



