284 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
% 
Holoquiscalus dispar Clark. 
Bequia Sweet; “Barbados” Blackbird. 
Holoquiscalus dispar Clark, Proc. biol. soc. Washington, vol. 18, p. 61, Eeb. 
21, 1905. 
So rare are specimens of this bird in collections that Mr. Ridg- 
way was unable to examine one at the time he wrote his account of 
the genus Holoquiscalus for Part 2 of his “ Birds of North and Mid¬ 
dle America,” and was forced to refer it questionably to II. inflexiros- 
tris of St. Lucia. Mr. Cory also, at the time he wrote the “Cata¬ 
logue of West Indian birds” had but a single specimen, a male, and 
also referred it to II inflexirostris. As a matter of fact, II dispar is 
quite different from that species, and from II. himinosus of Grenada, 
the female being dull black, even darker than the female of II. for¬ 
tirostris. The bill of II. dispar being much the same as that of 
II. inflexirostris does away with the chance that the bird might be 
the Quiscalus mexicanus of Cassin, as Cassin’s type was a stout¬ 
billed bird like II. martinicensis. 
This species is confined to St. Vincent, and is only found in the 
Kingstown valley and the neighboring windward district, where it is 
not very common. There is a small roost of them on the side of 
Dorsetshire Hill, just behind the town. It is called the “Bequia 
Sweet” by the peasantry from its notes, which resemble the sylla¬ 
bles “ beck-iray 1 street ,” and from its resemblance to II. luminosus , 
which is abundant on that island. The name “ Barbados Blackbird ” 
is given to distinguish it from the common “ Blackbird ” ( Coereba 
atrata ), and, of course, from its resemblance to II. for tirostris. In 
habits this species resembles II. luminosus. 
The nest and eggs are like those of II. fortirostris. 
Holoquiscalus luminosus (Lawr.). Merle ; Blackbird 
(Grenada).— This bird is common on Grenada and abundant on all 
the Grenadines, Hying about from one to another. In actions it 
resembles H. fortirostris , but its notes are slightly different. The 
usual cry resembles, as Wells suggests, “ green corn street.” It 
does great damage by digging up newly planted Indian corn, and 
1 “Beck-way” : the local pronounciation of Bequia. 
