166 A NATURALIST ON DESERT ISLANDS. 



island we never saw a sign of it. This bird inhabits the 

 mainland, ninety miles to the south ; and we should not 

 have mentioned it except for the sake of calling attention 

 to this possible instance of a migratory, or wandering, 

 instinct, similar to that of the humming-bird mentioned 

 above ; and also to the bad policy, when one is exploring 

 new ground, of " putting off " shooting examples of a 

 bird, because the}^ seem common. " Never leave rising 

 fish " is a good practical adage ; and so, when collecting 

 birds in a new district, never " hurry on " to ground 

 which you think may be more interesting, until you have 

 thoroughly " made good " the immediate ground you are 

 working. 



The parrot, which I have before referred to as occurring 

 on Blanquilla, was interesting for two reasons at least. 

 One reason was, that it came as a great surprise to us to 

 meet with one at all on such a barren island ; the second, 

 that having obtained a sufficient number to form a series 

 for comparison, it proved very difficult to determine to 

 what species it should be referred ; if, indeed, it could be 

 referred to any, and was not sufficiently distinct to merit 

 a new name of its own.* It would be tedious for the 

 general reader to enter into too much detail ; but briefly 

 put. it is a green parrot mth a yellow face and head, and 

 with scarlet red markings at the bend of the wings. 

 While in some respects it is similar to the parrot found 

 on the mainland {Chrysofis ochroptera) , in others, it appears 

 to be more closely allied to a parrot which Dr. Hartert 

 found on the island of Bonaire, some two hundred and 

 fifty miles to the west ; and which he named C. rothschildi 

 after Mr. Walter Rothschild. As, however, hardly any 

 two specimens, taken on Blanquilla, exactly agree as? to 

 their markings, it has been a very difficult question to 

 decide, to which of these two species the Blanquilla parrot 

 should bo referred. 



* Hartert, Ibis, 1893, pp. 123-328. Bonaire Parrot. Lowe, Ibis, 

 1907, p. 117; Idem, 1907, p. 304. Blanquilla Parrot. Cory, Birds of 

 Leeward Islands. Field Museum of Nat. Hist. Publ. No. 138, Vol. I. 

 No. 5. 



