68 Messrs. A. and E. Newton on the Birds of St. Croix. 
collection, with all the advantage which Prince C. L. Bonaparte^s 
diagnoses in the ‘ Comptes Bendus^ (vol. xxxviii. p. 259) afford, 
it does not seem possible to come to any decided opinion on the 
subject. The following are some of the principal differences to 
be observed between the birds from St. Croix and Jamaica:— 
St. Croix. 
Adult male .—Top of head, nape, 
back and upper wing-coverts dull 
black. Rump with a small greenish- 
yellow ill-defined patch. White on 
outer webs of primaries occupying 
small space, and almost hidden by 
wing-coverts, hardly showing, even 
when the wing is open. Three 
outer tail-quills on each side tipped 
with a broad patch of dirty white. 
Throat lead-grey; broad stripe of 
black from gape, round the eye and 
above the ear. Edge of shoulder 
white or faintly tinged with yellow. 
Jamaica. 
Adult male .—Top of head, nape, 
back and upper wing-coverts deep 
black. Rump bright canary-yellow, 
well-defined. White on outer web 
of primaries occupying a largish 
space, and forming a distinct patch, 
even when the wing is closed. 
Three outer tail-quills on each side 
tipped with a broad patch of clear 
white. Throat dull dark grey; 
narrow line of black from gape, 
above the eye and ear. Edge of 
shoulder bright yellow. 
The females from both islands appear to be more alike. The 
young males, even when breeding, have the line over the eye 
brilliant yellow, and the grey feathers of the chin tipped with 
yellow. Adult females have the superciliary stripe white, and 
nearly resemble the males. 
The bird from St. Thomas much more nearly resembles that 
from Jamaica than that from St. Croix, but has a much paler- 
grey throat. 
In Mr. Gosse’s pretty figure of this species (Ill. B. Jam. 
ph xvi.), he has omitted a very singular and pleasing feature, 
namely, the prominent pale crimson or bright pink lips at the 
gape, which, while the bird is alive, form a striking contrast of 
colour with its plumage. These are brightest in the adult, but 
are also very conspicuous in the young bird. The colour is very 
fleeting ; and generally by the time the skin is taken off, no 
traces of it are to be seen. This bird gets its name in St. Croix 
from its constantly entering the curing-houses at the different 
works through the barred windows: and managers and over¬ 
seers give it a bad reputation for stealing sugar from the hogs¬ 
heads : but we are inclined to think it is often attracted thither 
by the swarms of flies, which certainly throng there for the 
purpose of eating the newly-made muscovado. It is a very famk 
