Al^ A¥W)TATED LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED OX THE ISLAND OF MARGARITA, AXD AT CxrANTA AND LAGUAYRA, VENEZUELA. By VViKT Robinson. Firxt Linitenant, Fourth U. S. Arlillrry, Witli critical notes and descriptions of new species, By Charles W. Richmond. Assistant Curator, l>ipartmcnt of Birds. I. BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF MARGARITA. VENEZUELA. DuEiNcr the winter of 1S94-1S95, in anticipation of a vacation in the following summer, I was casting abont in my mind for a suitable local-ity to visit, wlien I received a note from Mr. C. AV. Richmond, of the U. S. National Museum, calling-my attention to a brief notice in the Ibis for January, 1895, in which Dr. P. L. Sclater suggested to orni-thologists the advisabiHty of turning their attention to the Island of Margarita, off tbe coast of A^enezuela, as a field hitherto unworked. Tliat this suggestion was justified, the results of my visit fully demon-strate. Margarita can be reached from Laguayra or from Trinidad, Plying fortnightly between these points, and touching at many small interme-diate i)orts, are two little steamers of the Carenero Railway and Navi-gation Company's line. These leave passengers and mails at Porlamar, the only town of importance on the south shore of the island. Many, steamers bound westward from Trinidad touch at Carupano on the Venezuelan coast, from which port small vessels are constantly crossing to ^Margarita. I arrived at Laguayra on June 20, but could not get a steamer to 3Iargarita until the 27tb, so spent the week collecting in the vicinity of the town. I found all of the birds molting and in very poor i)lumage, so after the first two days 1 confined my attention to butterflies and reptiles, getting some 700 of the former and 40 of the latter. On the morning of Sunday, June 30, my little steamer anchored about a mile from the beach at Porlamar and I was sliortly taken ashore in a small boat, landed at S o'clock, secured (piarters, and within half an hour was shooting birds in the scrub. The Island of Margarita lies about midway between I^aguayra and rroceediiigis of the United States Xatioual Museiim, VOL. XVIII— No. 1093. 619
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