May, 1908 THE PRESENT STATE OF THE ORNIS OF GUADALOUPE ISLAND 105 and will be the next of the Guadaloupe birds to go. Brown and Marsden found in all not more than forty individuals in the island. In the small cypress grove near the cabins there were four and in the large cypress woods about thirty-five. Mr. Brown tells us that in the breeding season, at least, the species is wholly confined to the cypresses, none being seen in the pine woods. The bird is very tame and unsuspicious and falls an easy prey to the cats. The six sets of eggs taken may be described as follows: `set?r. May 8, 1906. Eggs fresh, in an old cypress stump, 4 feet from ground; altitude 4500 feet. `set 2. May 18, one egg and three young. `seg3. May 20, one egg, nest in a dead cypress 10 feet up, hole 18 inches deep, 4 inches wide. `set 4. May 20. Four eggs, nest in an old cypress 5 feet from ground; alti- tude 3700 feet. `set 5. May 24. Four eggs, nest in a cypress four feet from ground, hole 20 inches deep, 3 inches wide; altitude 4000 feet. ,Set 6. June 8. Five eggs, nest in a cypress 15 feet from ground, hole 2 inches deep and 4 inches in diameter. Trochilus anna (Less.) ? Early in June Mr. Brown saw a hummingbird he felt sure belonged to this species. Early one morning after a severe northwest storm that had lasted for several days, the bird flew past him along the edge of the bluffs of the lower tableland and disappeared. It was the only hummingbird seen in the island. Regulus calendula obscurus Ridg. 3, good series was secured on dates ranging from May 13 to June 11, most of those taken being males. Mr. Brown found the species restricted to the large cypress wood, and in small numbers, noting in all about thirty-five individuals. The breeding season was passed,' as young on the wing were seen. The males, however, were still singing, and Mr. Brown char- acterizes the song as "indescribably sweet; in fact I have seldom heard its equal, and given as it always is in the silent gloomy depths of the cypress woods of Guadaloupe, it is ever to be remembered." Salpinctes obsoletus guadeloupensis Ridg. A large series was secured, on dates from May 1 to June 8. Next to the house finch, the rock wren is the commonest bird of Guadaloupe, and occurs all over the island from sea level to the highest peaks and in every kind of country, from the rocky beach, the cliffs, and the grassy plateau to the high wooded region. It is very tame and confiding, and Mr. Brown has several times, when standing or sitting still, had one hop onto his shoe or even upon his knee and look him over with evident curiosity. Nests found as early as May 8 contained young. In the open country the nest is placed in crevices in the rocks and in the cypress woods in hollows in the decay- ing, prostrate cypress trees. Sitta canadensis Linn. A suite of skins taken from May 13 to June 11, shows the resident breeding nuthatch of Guadaloupe to be quite the same as the bird of continental North America generally. It is very local in Guadaloupe being confined to the pine woods of the north ridge. Mr. Brown thought about fifty individuals made their home in this deso- late, wind-swept wood that is about 3000 feet above the sea and is almost con- stantly buried in fog. It was never seen in the cypresses or the palm woods. All the specimens taken were adult and no sign of nesting was observed. Carpodacus ampius Ridg. A large series of specimens, including young and
