Catalogue of the birds of Dominica from collections made for the Smithsonian Institution by Frederick A. Ober, together with his notes and observations

48 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

C

ATAIOWUE OF THE

BIRD!^

OF

l>OWI."VIC'A

FRO.U

l'OLI.ECTIO>Sl

.HADE FOK THE

SMITIISOIVIAX I.XSTITITION

BV FREDEKICfi

^A.

OltEK.

TO«-ETIIEK

AVITII

HIS

^fOTESAIV»

OBSERVATIONS.

By GEORGE

^N.

EA^VREIVCE.

Inthe Aunalsof the

New York Academy

of Sciences, vol. _{1, p.} 40, I called attention to the explorations in the Lesser Antilles that were being

made

by Mr. F. A.Ober, giving an accountof bis progress

up

to that time in the island of Dominica, and stating that

when

his final collection from there

was

received, a catalogueof the birds obtained andnoticedby

him

would be published.

When

his last collection

came

to hand, it was found that thepublica- tion of the promised catalogue would be delayed; it

was

therefore

deemed

best to give a provisional list cf the species iu Forest and Stream; this appeared in theissue of

December

G,1877.

On

^{his second visit to} Dominica,^Mr.

Ober had

an attack of fever, which ^debarred

him

from concluding his explorations satisfactorily.

Several species that were seen by him, but not procured, he

was

able to identify.

A

few otherbirdswere heard^of, but thedescriptions given of

them

were insutticient for their identilication; these being undoubted inhabitants of theisland areincluded in thecatalogue, withsuch infor-

mation ashecould obtain concerning them.

Some

of thesespecies Mr.

Oberhopestohaveprocuredfor

him

byresidents,

who

promisedto

make

efifortstodo so.

Mr. Oberisentitled to

much

creditfor his industry

and

perseverance thus far, and hisnotes testify that his heart isiu the enterprise.

Besides birds, he has sent valuable collections in other branchesof science.

I have received fi'om him,by

way

of introductionto thiscatalogue, the following interestingaccount of the physical features of Dominica, with incidents of his movements, localities wherebirds were procured, etc.

All of his communications

and

notes are designated by (juotation- marks.

The

arrangementof this catalogue isthe

same

as that of the

Xomen-

clator

Avium

Neotropicalium, by Messrs. Sclater and Salviu.

"The

island of Dominica is 25 miles in length by 10 in breadth. It is mountainousin character, consistingofacentral ridgerunning north and south,from whichchain projecthills and spurseastand west; thus the entireisland is but asuccession of hills and valleys, thelatterever narrowing into ravines and gorges, from which pour foaming streams and torrents.

"The

coast-line is for the greaterpart bold and precipitous, someof the hills slope gently to the sea,

and some

of the valleys open upon spacious bays, which, though not deep, atford good anchorage on the Caribbean sideforsmallcraft.

From

thevolcanicnatureofthisisland^

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 49

being thrust

up

from the great ocean bed, thewater allarounditis of greatdepth,and vesselsanchoringoff'Eoseau,the principal town,often run outsixty fathomsofchain before bringing up.

"Thus when

I speak of the small depth of the bays, ^I

mean

the small indentations they

make

in the general line of the shore.

The

valleys

and

low hills of the Caribbean shore are tolerably well culti- vated, principally ⁱⁿ sugar-cane; the provision groundof the negroes reachingoften tohigh hill-tops.

"On

theeastorAtlanticside,calledthe^'

windward

' sideoftheisland (fromthefactthat the prevailing

wind

hereis thenortheasttrade), are afew fine,thoughisolated, sugarestates,situatedwhere deep baysgive opportunityforboats tolaud.

The

natureoftheeast side ofthe island is

more

rocky,

and

the seas

more

boisterous than thewestorCaribbean

slope.

The

almostunceasingtrade-windkeepstheAtlanticin atumult, instriking contrast tothe calmsof the Caribbean waters.

"As

thisisland is about

midway

thegroup

known

as the Lesser

An-

tilles,beingin lat.loo20'

—

15°45'; long. 61°13'

—

01° 30',itpossesses

much

in its fauna thatwill prove of interest;

and

doubtless

some

spe- cies will befound to inhabit it that existneither northnor south of it;

some

thatare foundnorth but not south,

and

vice versa. Possessing as

itdoes the highest mountain peakin any island south of Jamaica,

and

a range of mountains

and

hills of 2,000 to 3,000 feet in height, the essential character of the fauna is mountainous. In fact, along the coastand inthelow valleys,very fewbirds are obtained

more

than the ordinary sparrows, hummingbirds, etc.

Though

not rich in either

numbers

or species, Dominicacontains its best birdsin high mountain valleys.

Each

kind has its characteristichaunt

and

breedingplace, as will bedescribed hereafter, and the majority of

them

are inthe mount- ainsand mountainvalleys.

"

My

firstcollecting ground

was

at Landat(seeForest and Stream), amountain vale 1,500feetabove the Caribbean Sea, atthehead of the Roseau Valley, whichlatter

made up

into the mountains from the sea fornearly five miles.

The

average temperature of this region

was

ten degrees lower than at Roseau, 1,500 feet below; at night a blanket (sometimes two)

was

necessary. Icollectedherefora

month —themonth

of

March —

^{during which period I visited the famousBoiling Lake, a}

chain of lakes on the mountains, the near mountain peaks, and thor-

oughly explored everyaccessibleravine and valley withinaday'swalk.

"After shipping

my

collections to the Smithsonian, I startedforthe central 'windward' portion oftheisland,where residethe lastvestiges of theCarib Indians.

With them

I resided six weeks, ina cabin close

by

the Atlanticshore. It

was

while therethat I procured the Imperial Parrot,and other birdsof lessnote,

by making

forced marchesintothe high mountains.

"Ishould note herethat everythingI needed

had

to be transported Proc.Nat. Mus. 78 4

July 31, 1878.

50 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

over tbe rugged mouutaintrails, from the

town

of Eoseau, a journey of aclayand night, upon the headsof

men

and

women.

" In

May

^Ireturned to Koseau. In

Juue

I passed a

week

inLandat, finding little differencein the birds, exceptin the scarcity of the

Hum-

mingbirds anda few ^{others. I also} spent

more

than a week, in June, at Batalie, a lime plantation

midway

thewest coast,where I found a fewbirds which I hadseen inthe mountains

more

abundant, and one species

—

^{the TropicBird}

—

^{breedingin theclifis.}

"During

May

and

June

1

was

exhausted by alow typeof fever, the result of exposure, which greatly retarded

my

efforts tosecure greater numbersofbirds.

From

subsequentobservation,however,

and

enquiry, I

am

certain that nearlyall the resident species have been obtained.

The

very few not procured willbe noticed furtheron.

'•

On

the15thSeptember Ireturnedto Dominica,after avisitto

some

of the northern islands.

Making my way

atonce to the mountains,I

had

opportunity tonote the changes that the seasonswould

make

in the timewhich

had

elapsed since

my

first visit.

The Hummingbirds

were in great abundance, the 'Mountain Whistler'nearly silent,

and

perdu; the Flycatchers

same

as usual;

Wrens

about thesame,but

more

in the deep woods; sparrows, finches, etc., in customary abundance;

the'gamebirds'

—

_'Perdix','Kamier',and'Tourterelles'

—

ⁱⁿabundance.

"Duringthis visit I succeeded in procuring the onlyspeciesof

Owl known

in Dominica.

The

first

was

afemale,September18,sitting

upon

itsnest, which contained three eggs freshly laid.

The

following day broughtinthe male; this

was

theonly findof value.

"Strangetosay,

my

^oldenemy,fever, visited

me

again,the firstnight I spentin the mountains; though I

had

been

exempt

from it fortwo months,and

my

last visitthere

had

aidedinitscure. This discouraging welcometoDominica (Ido not,though,attribute itsolely totheclimate) prevented

me

fromgoing outona projectedtriptothemountainsbeyond

fortheParrot; I sent

my men

but they failed toget thebird.

"The

migratoryspecieshadarrived insmall

numbers—

GoldenPlover, Sandpiper,etc.

— andthewaterof Eoseau Bay was blackin placeswith large flocksof the 'twa-oo', a speciesof tern. These birdsonlycome

beforeagale and are harbingers of a storm. September being ahurri- cane month, very few sailing craft of any kind were about; being, especially in the French islands, hauled up, to remain so through October.

"

Much

to

my

regret, I

was

unable to procure the Parrot, but little largerthan our CarolinaParrot,

and

the ^'Diablotin'.

The

latterwas, twentyyearsago, in greatabundance, breeding in themountains; but of lateyears ithas

become

so scarceastoappear almost mythical. Its disappearance is attributed to the depredations of the 'Manacon', a worthless marsupial animal, introduced into

Dominica

years ago. Al- though the Diablotin is, probably,identicalwith the Petrel found in the Blue Mountainsof Jamaica (thePrion CarVohcva^ as suggested

by

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 51

Prof.Baird),- yet ^it would be very interesting to

know

exactly

what

it is. Ifit ispossibly remaining,Ihave hopes ofsecuringit,as

my

friend H. A.AlfordXicholls,

M.

D., of Eoseau, has offered alargereward for it; if obtained, to be sent to the Smithsonian.

"Having

been in theisland during the breeding season, I procured

many

nests

and

eggs,which are, probably, little known. Nests

and

eggsof three species of

Hummingbirds,

the 'Perdix', Owl,

and many

smallerbirds, were received.

"There are fewsea-birds resident here, or evenvisitors forthe pur- poseof incubation,

owing

to the precipitouscharacterof thecoast,

and

the absence of small islands ordetached rockyislets.

"

From Dominica

Isailed south to St. Vincent,where I remainat this present writing(October).

" Trusting you will

make

allowance for the

many

imperfections in this (necessarily) hasty sketch;

and

hopingto give

you

full

and

perfect descriptions

when

I have leisure to elaborate

my

notes,

"Iremain, faithfullyyours,

"FEEDEEICK

A.

OBER.

"_Itwould be

wrong

in

me

to conclude without acknowledging the obligationsI

am

underto afew gentlemen ofDominica.

"To

thePresident of the island, C.

M.

Eldridge, Esq.. forkindly let- ters ofintroduction toother islands; for

much

profferedaid

and

a great deal of information.

"

To

Dr.Imray, the oldest medical

man

in the island, one

who

has done

much

to develope the natural resources of Dominica; a botanist of repute, especially an authority on Tropical plants, to

him

I

am

^in-

debtedfor

many

favors. Freeaccesstoalargeandwell-selected library

was

oneof the

many

delights hisgenerous nature affordedme.

"

To

theHon. William Stedman, for

many and

delicate acts of kind- ness.

"

To

Dr. H. A.Alford Nicholls, for

numerous

favors. I never can repaj' thedebt I

owe

these

two

gentlemen, for the

many and

continued attentionsduring

my

stay.

At

the time

when

I

was

sick withfever,it

was

to theattentionsof theone

and

the skilful medical attendanceof the other, that

my

rapid recovery

was

due.

The

period ofconvales- cence, passed principally in their society, will continue a veryjileasant remembrance.

"

The

information possessed

by

Dr. Nicholls

upon wood

and mountain

life

was

freelyplaced at

my

disposal,

and

it

was owing

chiefly to his suggestions, that

my

collecting grounds were so judiciouslychosen as to comprise within their areas the characteristic birds of theisland.

Upon

botanyand ethnology the doctoris well informed,

and

his collec- tions and herbarium promise to

become

veryvaluable.

"These remarkswill perhaps account for

my

protracted stay in the island, and foralingeringregret atleavingit."

52 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

Fam. TUEDID^.

1. Margarops herminieri(Lafr.).—Localname, "Morer".

"Thiscurious bird inhabitsthe high woods;especiallydoesit delight in the comparatively open places beneath the towering gomier trees,

where perhaps anarrowtrail hasleftthe groundbareof leaves. There you ^will findwhere it has been scratching with its strong feet. Itis

very shy,andbeing verygood as food^{it is} sought

by

the mountaineers,

who

call ittothem by imitatingitscry of distress.

"Iris tea-color.

Not

abundant.

"Length, ^, 9in.^; alarextent, 15; wing, 5; ^tail,

3y

Of

this fine species there are five males in the collection,but

no

females, andMr.

Ober makes

no allusion to their plumage. Ithas not beforebeenrecordedfrom Dominica.

2. Margarops densirostris(Vieill.)-—Localname,"GrosGrive".

" These^{birds are}

much

esteemedfortheirflesh,

and

arehunted with- out mercy,

when

the law allows.

They

are thus

made

very shy; at St. Marie, however, in the Indian ^{section of} Dominica, where they are not shot,they are very tame,

and

frequent the

mango and

bread- fruittreesabout the habitations of the^people.

They

lay in April

and May.

"_Iris very pale strawcolor; bill horn color.

"Length, <?, 11 in.; alar extent, 17^; wing, 5i; tail, 5f."

The

sexes do not diflfer apparently in size or plumage; not before noted from Dominica.

3. Margarops montauus (Vieill.)-—Localname, "Grive^".

"Abundant,but

much

reducedin

numbers

bybeing shotforfood. In habits andactions

much

resembles the

American

Mockingbird, without his song,however.

"Irisyellow.

" Length, <?, 9^; alar extent, 14f^; wing, 43^; tail, 4."

Numerous

specimens of both sexes sent; no apparent difference between them; alsonot sentbefore from this island.

The

^{nest of} thisspeciesis

composed

of fineroots loosely

woven

toge- ther; the inside with the smallest roots,but nosoftlining; it is very shallow,and appears small forthesize of the bird, havinga diameter of butfourand ahalf inches; there are two eggs of a uniformbeauti- fulaqua-marineblue, measuring 1.20

x

^.75.

Collected atShawfordValley,

May

10.

4. Cinclocerthiaruficauda, Gould.—Localname,"Trembleur".

"_Its

name

is givenfromitshabit of quiveringitswings.

Abundant

in themountainsand lowervalleys. (Seeletter in Forest

and

Stream.)

" Length, <?, 9in.; alar extent, 12J; wing, 4^{; tail,}_3J."

The

sexesare alikein colors and dimensions. This specieshas not been obtainedbefore in Dominica.

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 53

5. "Thrush"?

"Another bird

was

described

by

several persons,something like the Thrush, but with yellow bill

and

legs. Itsegg is likethe Cuckoo's in shape andcolor."

Of

course,it canonly bedetermined

by

examples.

Fam. SYLVIID.E.

6. Myiadestesgenibarbia, Sw.

—

^Nativename,"SiffleurMontagne; Solitaire".

"The

Mountain Whistler frequents the most gloomy

and

solitary mountain gorges, seeking the most retired situations

—

not so

much

from shyness as from

some

inherent proclivity.

"

Found

on the borders ofopen glades inthe morning

when

seeking

itsfavorite food, the berriesof a tall shrub.

Never

found below1,000 feetaltitude. Its mellownotesarefirst heard from adarkravineabove Shawford Valley as one ascends the mountains. (See Forest

and

Stream.)

"Length, <?, 7 J ^in.; alar extent, 11; wing, 3|; ^{tail, 3^."}

The

femalediffers fromthe male onlyin having a

wash

of brownish- olive across the middle of the back. There isa single specimenof the young; in this each feather of the upper

plumage

terminates with black,

and

has an adjoining subterminal round spot of bright rufous;

the feathersof the under

plumage

are

more

rufous, withthe terminal edgeless distinctly

marked

with black; the throat

and

under tail-cov- ertsare lightrufous; thetailas inthe adult. This specimen isspotted

much

in the

same manner

as thefigure of the

young

of 3f. ralloidcs, in Exotic Ornithology,

by

Messrs. Sclater

and

Salvin,pi. xxxii.

The M.

armillatusof Bonaparte (Cons.

Av.

i, p.335) agrees best with

M.

genibarhis^ Svv.,ashedescribestheparoticregion tobeblack, striped with white, a character peculiar to that species.

He

has Swainson's

name

as a synonym,considering the two to be identical; hegives for the habitat Central

America and

the Antilles.

Prof.Baird(Rev.

Am.

Birds, p.421) proves that

M.

armillatus,Gosse, from Jamaica, is not

M.

armillatus, Vieill.,

and names

it

M.

soUtarius.

The

true habitat ofVieillot'sspecies isthusleftunsettled,

and

I believe no authenticexamplesof itare

known

toexist in

any

collection. Yieil- lot, in hisoriginal description (Ois.

Am.

Sept. i,p. 69, ^pi. 42),gives the Antillesas its habitat^; afterwards (Enc.Meth.^ii,p.824)specifies Mar- tiniqueas alocality.

Mr. Sclater(P. Z. S.1871,p.270)considersthe lastreference as prob- ably applying to

M.

geniharhis. Mr. Sclater alsosays^:

—

_"Itispossible that

M.

armillatus verus

may

^{be the species} from St.

Domingo,

where thereisan

unknown

representative of this form."

31.geniharhisisnoted from St. Luciaby Mr. Sclaterinhis listof the birdsof that island (P. Z. S.1871, p. 263).

The

specimens from there hecompared with two examplesof31.geniharhisin the Swainsoncollec- tion atCambridge,

and

found

them

to agree.

54 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

SwainsoQ erroneously supposed this bird to be a native of Africa

;

his figure of it(2^at. Lib.vol. xiii),to becorrect, should have the chin and anelongated quadrate

mark

onthe lowereyelid pure white.

There are inthecollection twelve adult specimens, whichare appa- rentlyin fullplumage, having thepurewhitechin

and

rictalstripe sep- arated by a black line, and the white patchon thelower eyelid; in the

young

example, the white

marks

arewanting.

Fam. TROGLODYTID^.

7. Thryothorusrufescens, Lawr.,Ann.N.Y.Acad. Sci. v.1,p.47.

"

Wren,

<? , Landat,

March

3,1877.

"

Found

only in the deep, dark woods, or on their borders. I shot several, but lost

them

in the rank vegetation.

They

have amost de- licious song, like, Ithink, ourNorthern

Wood Wren.

Will have

more

extended notes at

some

future day. Ijustmissed gettingitsegg. In

June

I found anest,

and had my

boys watching it for eggs, but

some

one robbed^itbeforeme.

When

^{I left,I toldthe peopleofthevalley to}

procure theeggs

and

save

them

for me.

"It (the nest)

was

merely a few straws in a small hole in a bank, aboutsix inches deep, with a diameter^of four inches.

"Length, 4i in.; alar extent, 6g; wing, 2^; ^tail. If.

"Iris bright hazel.

Abundant

in the deep woods,but hard to find fromitsterrestrial habits. Nativename, 'OseuoliV

In thefirst two collections,there being but the type-specimen, I re-

quested Mr.

Ober

toget more; inthelastcollectionare fourothers,but

all are males. These wereprocured in September,

and

areof adarker or brownish-rufous, no doubt

owing

to the differentseason.

Fam. SYLVICOLID^.

8. Siurus naevius(Bodd.).

"Wagtail

—

^veryscarce.

"Shot while feeding about the pools of the upper waters of the EoseauRiver, arockystream of cascades

and

water-falls.

"Length, _5fin.; alar extent,9^^; wing, _3^, 9."

9. Dendroecavirens(Gm.).

"Only

one seen; veryragged in plumage.

"Length, 5in.; alar extent, 7§; wing,2^, ,?."

10. DendrcBca petechia(Linn.).

"YellowWarbler, ^'Titien'. Shawford Valley,

March

21.

"Abundant

on the plantations of the east coast, overgrown with guava-bushes.

"Length, 5 in.; alar extent, 7^; wing, _2f, 9."

"A

nest witheggs

was

taken at St. Mariein April."

The

nest is well shaped and compactly formed; iscomposed of fine dried grasses, the outside of coarser materials, stripsof bark,

and

long.

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 55

thin,flaglike leaves,intermixed with alittlecotton. Itseemslarge for the bird; it measures in outside diameter ^{5 inches; height,}2^; depth of cavity, 1| inches. There are three eggs of a dull white, sparingly speckled with reddish-brown, except onthelarger end,wherethe spots are confluent; two measure in length .75ofaninch

and

.50inbreadth;

the otheris.55 in breadth.

11. Dendroccaplunibea, Lawr.,Ann.N.Y. Acad.Sci. v.1,p. 47.

There ^are nonotes which apply tothis species.

12. Setophagaruticilla (Liuu.).

" Redstart, ^' Chat'.

Not common.

"Length, 5 in.; alar extent, 7i; wing, _2J, <?."

Fara.

VIREONID^.

13. Vireosylvia calidris var. dominicana, Lawr.

"_Ithink thisbird is a

summer

visitoronly, asI didnotseeit before

March

19,

and

then only one. It increased in

numbers

in April

and May; was

abundant in the Indian Settlement. I sendnest

and

eggs.

Itsnote

makes

it conspicuous.

<'Length, $, 6J^{in.; alar extent,} lOJ; wing, 3.}; tail,2^\"

"Localname, ^' Chewick'. Irishazel."

Male.

— Upper plumage olive-green, purer and brighter than in Y.

calidris_; capof a clearash,ratherdarker thanthatof var. harhatula_; a distinctblackishline along theedgeofthecrown; superciliary stripe ashy-white; cheekswith a tingeof buff; loresand a stripe behind the eye dusky: ablackish moustachial line alongeachside of the throat

;

the under

plumage

is grayish-white, purer on the upper part of the throat

and abdomen

; sidespaleolive-green; underwing-covertsyellow

;

crissumpurepaleyellow; thebill is large

and

darkerthan initsallies

;

theuppermandible isblackishhorn-color,theunder whitishhorn-color.

The

femalediffers inno respectsfromthe male.

The

onlynecessarydirect comparison with

any

of the

West

Indian or moustached form is withvar. barbadense, Eidg.; that

and

the pres- ent birdonlyhaving adistinct dark line along theedge of the crown.

The

type of barbadense

was

kindly sent

me by

Mr.

Eidgway

: it is

smallerthan the

Dominica

species; the

plumage

aboveisof a lighter brownish-olive, the capnotso dark, the

under

parts ofa pale yellowish orcreamy-white,

and

the billof a fleshy-brown color; in general color- ingthey arequite unlike.

The

nest (marked ^''St. Marie, April22, '77")isnot the^beautiful struc- turedescribedbyDr.

Brewer

(N.

Am.

Birds,v.1,p. 362) belongingto F.

calidrisofJamaica,

and

does notappeartohave been^pensile; itiscom- posed ^of finegrasses, intermixed on the outside with a coarserkindof along,thin,ribbon-likeform. Therearebut

two

eggs

—

^{perhapsnot the}

full complement; they are of a dull white, rather closely spotted with

56 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

palechocolate, confluentatthe largerend; theymeasure inlength .80 of aninch

by

.60in breadth.

The

nest measures inoutsidediameter_3.Jinches; depth ^of cavity IJ inches.

Fam. HIRUNDINID^.

14. Progne dominicensis ^(Gm.).

" *Hirondelle.' Resident.

"

The

firstseen

was

shot atMountain Lake,2,300feetabovesea-level,

March

23^; later in the season ^I found afew on the Atlantic side, in June, breedingin theclifl"sat Batalie,on theCaribbean shore.

"Length, _7f ^in.; alar extent, 15_; wing,_Sf, <?."

Fam. CEREBIDiE.

15. Certhioladominicana, Taylor.—Localname," Sucrier". St. Marie.

"_Iprocured a series of these, that you might beable to determine betterthelocal differences.

"Everywhere abundantin lowland

and

mountain valleys; breedsin old plantations from

March

through to the rainy season. I sendnests and eggs.

"Length, 4g in. ; alar extent, 7|^; wing, 2^.

"₁putin afewnests of these birds to illustrate the

domed

struc- ture

—

a character that ^prevails

among

the smallerbirds

—

grass-birds, Sparrow

and

Sucrier."

Therearetwo nests, globular inform, onecontaining three eggs, ob- tainedat St.Marie, April 20,1877; the other with four eggs,inShawford Valley, inApril. For thesize ofthe bird, the nestseems a bulkystruc- ture, butiselaborately

made;

the insideisoffine grasses;the outsideof finewiry stems of

some

plant,

and

thethin flag-likeleavesspokenofin describing the nestof Doichcccapetechia; ithasanoutside diameter of 5 inches, the depth of the cavity 3 inches, across the opening 1|

inches.

The

entrance is on the side.

The

eggs are dull white,

some

closelyspottedwith pale reddish-brown; others lessso;

some

withthe spots confluent atthelarger end; othershaving

them

distinct.

They

measure .68of an inchinlength by .53 in breadth.

Fam. TANAGRID^.

16. Euphoiiiaflavifrons(Sparm.).

" 'L'oivseau de St. Pierre.' Rare.

"Feeds

among

the topsof trees in the high

woods

; said to occur, also, onthe coast; stomachfullof small green seeds.

" Length,_4;| in.; alar extent, 8; wing, 2^; tail, 1|, 9."

. Thereis in thecollection butonespecimen, a female,whichI suppose tobethis species. I wrote Mr.

Ober

to endeavorto getothers, but he

was

unable to doso. I have amale specimen from Porto Ricoof U.

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 57

sclateri,presented

by

Dr. Guudlach

—

^{this is}

much

smaller than the above,measuringin length4:^ in.; wiug, 2jV^{; tail,} 1/^.

17. Saltator guadeloupensis,Lafr.

—

Localname, ''Grosbec".

"

Found among

thebushes

and

low treesfringingthecleared valleys

and

openplateaus. Itsclear note

makes

it a

marked

bird inthe breed- ing season.

Found

eggs in

May.

Inhabitant of both coasts.

Not

abundant.

"Length, 8^ ^in.; alar extent, 12:|^; wing,4; tail,3^', 9.

" Length, _8J in.; alarextent, 12A; wing, 4^{; tail,} 3§, ^c?

.

^'Nestobtained at St. Marie, Indian country.

May

1, 1877; laysfrom

two

to threeeggs ata time."

The

sexesdonotdiffer in plumage.

The

nestis

made

of the stemsof

•coarsegrasses,

and

though appearing to be loosely put together, yetis Nquite compact; thereare a fewfiner stemsat the bottom of the cavity.

The

outer diameter is 5^ ^inches, height 3 inches,depth of cavity If inches.

The

eggs are light greenish-blue, with a few irregular black markings on thelargerend; the length is 1.06 ofan inch, thewidth .80.

Fam. FRINGILLID^E.

18. Loxigilla noctis(Linn.).

—

Localname, Moisson; Pere Noir; Sparrow.

"

The

male is black, the female gray, I have no doubt, as they are always seen together.

Very common,

especially on old plantations;

make

their nests in low trees

and

stout shrubs.

The

nest sent, with threeeggs,

was

obtained in ShawfordValley,

March

21, 1877.

" Length, 5J^{in.; alarextent, 0;} wing, 3; tail,2f, ^

.

" Length, ⁵¹in.; alarextent,

8.J^; wing, 2^; ^{tail, 2i, 9."}

The

nest under examination ^is placed in the upright trifurcated branch of aprickly shrubor tree,

and

isthus supported behind

and

on

€achside; itis alarge

and

looselyformed structure,composed of fine

stems of i)lants, dried leaves,

and

small, dried plants; it is covered overordomed,

and

has alarge openingin front,thelower part, which

is the nest proper, is

more

comj)act,

and

is lined at the bottom with

fine,soft grasses orstemsof plants; the heightof the nest outside is8 inches,the breadth5; theopening in fronthasa diameter of 3 inches;

depthofcavity, 2 inches.

The

complementofeggsisthree. Thosesent differ

much

in size

and

appearance.

One

is nearly white,

marked

with minute pale spots of reddish-brown, quite evenly distributed; this measures .80

by

.62 of an inch. Another, of about the

same

size, is

more

conspicuously spotted; at the largerenddenselyso; size, .78

by

.57.

The

last is

much

smaller, the spots largeranddarker; it isclosely spotted allover, the spots not confluent at thelargerend; it measures .72

by

.50.

Mr. Sclater speaksof the single specimen from St. Lucia (P. Z. S.

1871, p.271),

and

referred to this species as differingfrom aMartinique

58 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

skiu in Laving ^"norufous at all onthe crissum,

and

the superciliary

mark

^shorter".

Fivemalesinthecollectionfrom Dominica havetheundertailcoverts rufous, ofthe

same

shadeas that of the throat; the rufous^linerunning from the bill is darker, and extends over the eye as far as

upon

aline withitscentre. ProbablytheDominica

and

Martiniquebirds are alike;

butif other examples from ^St.Lucia prove to be without rufouscris-

sum

s,itwould seem to be a well

marked

variety.

The

female from Dominica ^is, above, a brownish-olive, having the face, sides of the head,

and

uppertail-coverts tingedwith rufous; the wing-coverts

and

tertials are edged with bright rufous; the under plumage isof a dark ashy-olive; the undertail-coverts are palerufous.

Specimensof a LoxlgiUacollectedin Guiana

by

Mr. A.H.Alexander (taxidermist),though similar in color

and

markingsto examplesof L.

noctisfrom Dominica, are so

much

less in alltheirmeasurements that 1 think, atleast, it

may

beconsidered a variety.

The

bill of the

Guiana

bird is

much

smaller, theunder mandibleof a brownish horn-color, be- ing black inthe

West

Indian bird_; theunder tail-covertsareofapaler rufous; the rufous of the throat

more

restricted, and the superciliary lineextending beyondtheeye.

The

measurementsof the

two

are as follows^:

—

Dominicabird, ^, length, 5i ^in.; wing, 3; tail, 2|; ^tarsus,f.

Guianabird, <?, length, 4i^in.; wing, 2§: tail, 2; tarsus, _§.

Viewed

^together, the skin of the

West

Indian bird appears to be nearly twice the bulkof the other.

I propose to distinguish the South American form

by

the

name

of LoxUjillanoctis var.propinqua.

Mr. Alexander obtained quite a

number

of this small species in Guiana, but he had disposed of mostof

them

beforethey

came

under

my

notice. Three males examined were alike insize

and

coloring. I

was

unable to find a female

among

the birds collected by him: thisis easilyaccountedfor; his objectin

making

collectionsbeingtosecure the more showy and saleable males.

Mr. Alexanderinformed

me

that theywere not

uncommon

along the EssequiboEiver, andthathe

saw them

alsoatBerbice.

The

only citation of Guiana as a locality for L. noctis that I have noticed is by Bonaparte (Cons. Av.i,p. 493), viz," Surinam'"; healso givesMartinique.

19. Phonipara bicolor(Linn.).

"SiSiYerbe;

Grass-bird.

"Abundant

everywhere; breedsingreat

numbers

inShawfordValley, threemiles fromthecoast; nests in lime-trees.

"One

with threeeggstaken April, 1877; another with four eggs."

"Length, _^, ^4ain.; alar extent,C^-; wing,^2i.

"Length, 9,4iin.; alar extent, Gi; wing,^2i."

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 59

The

nest isglobularinshape,

and

iscomposedoffineroots

and

_stems

of plants, intermixed with thin, flag-like leaves; it is G^ inches high

and

5^ inches broad; the opening is 2 inches across; depth of the cavity, IJ^inches.

The

eggsarequiteuniform in appearance; they are white, with a scarcely perceptible greenish tinge, sparingly speckled with reddish-brown, exceptonthe largerend, wherethe examples vary

inhaving the spots

more

or lessconfluent.

They

varyin sizefrom .06 to .57 ofan inch in length,

and

in breadthfrom .54to.50.

Fam. TYRANNID^E.

20. Elainea martinica(Liun.).

—

Localname, "Quick".

"Rather abundant in the mountain valleys, especially in the lateral ravines bordering the glades of open pastures. In habits and cry resembling our Phoebe-bird.

"Length, _^, Gf ^in.; alar extent, lOi; wing, 34.

"Length, 9, 6in.; alar extent, 10; wing, _3f."

Of

this species, Mr.

Ober

sent nine examples. Mr. Sclater(P. Z. S, 1S71, p. 271)considers^£'.

rimi

from St.

Thomas

"undistinguishable'' from E. martinica. I have but one specimen of E. riisii,whichdiffers onlyfrom theDominica bird in being lightbrownish-olive above; the upper

plumage

of E. martinica is dark olive; the difference

may

be seasonal. Mr. Sclater also raises the question whether E._ijagana "_is reallyseparable"; in five specimens,so-called, fromBrazil,Guiana,

and

Xew

Granada, the most

marked

difference fromthe

West

Indian bird

is that the breast

and abdomen

are of a decided paleyellow. In E.

martinica, the throat

and

breast are of aclear bluish-gray,the

abdomen

withjustatingeof yellow.

Mr. Sclater (P. Z. S. 1870, p. 834)thinks that his E. siihpagana will

haveto be reunited to E. pagana. Ihave one example of this form,,

fromthe City of Mexico, which isofa bright yellowish-oliveabove,and the

abdomen

ofafineclear light yellow. Thesedifferences

may

be due togeographical position.

21. Myiarchus oberi, Lawr.,Ann.N.Y.Acad, ofSci.v. l,p.46.

—

Localuauie, " So- leilcoucher^".

"_ItisSO calledbecauseit uttersits peculiarcry just at sunset; the hunters say

when

Soleil Coucher cries, it is time to

make

ojoussa, or camp. Obtainedat

Landat

in

March

; not

common.

"Length, ^, 9in.; alarextent, 12J^; wing,4.

"Length, 9, 8^in.; alar extent, 12^; wing, ^4."

22. Blacicus brunneicapillus,Lawr,Add.N. Y.Acad.Sci. v._1,p. IGl.

—

Localname,

"Goubemouche^"'.

"

Everywhere

abundantⁱⁿ the ravinesand darkvalleysofthemount-

ains.

" Length, <?, 5|^in.; alarextent, 8J^; wing, 2^; tail, 23."

60 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

23. Tyrannus ^{rostratus,Stl.}

"_Pipere; Loggerhead."

"More

an inhabitantof the lowlands thanthe mountains; found ^it abundant in St.Marie, Atlantic ^coast.

"

Found

a nest with twoeggs, April20, 1877.

"Length, ^c?, 0| ^in.; alar extent, 15; wing, _4J.

" Length, 9^,9f ^in.; alar extent, 15^; wing, 4f^."

The

nestisrather looselymade,ofsmallharsh-feeling roots

and

stems of plants, with nosoft lining for the eggs; ^{it is} 4|inches wide, witha heightof 2inches, the cavity buthalfan inch deep.

The

two eggs are alikein size,butvaryinshadeof color: one isofalight reddish salmon

color, withlarge conspicuous spots of a deep ^{rusty-red, mostly}around the largerend; the other iswhite,with aslight tingeofcolor,the spots smaller andlessconspicuous.

They

measure

LOG

by .77.

Fam. TROCHILID^.

24. Eulampisjugularis(Linn.).

"Large Crimson-throat

Hummingbird."

" This species called ^' Colibri' inpatoisFrench.

"Thisspecies isalmost exclusively a frequenter of the high valleys of the mountains, though found lower

down

also. It delightsin the plantain

and

provision groundsof the mountain sides,

and

there

may

beseen inearlymorning, glancing

among

theleaves, hoveringover the flowerclusters. In the open glades, also, it

was abundant

about the wild honeysuckle and flowering shrubs. It

was

^easily approached,

and many

were caught for

me

by thelittle mountainboys, with native ^bird- lime, the juice (inspissated) of thebread-fruit tree.

"Idid not find it anywhere

common

onthe east,orAtlantic side of theisland.

Took

a nest and two eggsin June. It breedslater in the season than the smallest species (the Crested). Nest built in bread- fruit tree.

Have

nests of the threespecies.

" Length, <? ,5 in.; alarextent, 7J^; wing,3|.

"Length, 9, 5in.; alarextent, 7J; wing,^3."

This wouldseemto bea very abundantspecies,as Mr.

Ober

procured aboutfiftyspecimens.

Most

ofthese bear evidence ofhaving been cap- tured withbird-lime.

The

femalediffersonly inthe colorof the throat being

somewhat

duller.

Mr.

Ober

speaks of having obtained " nests of the three species";

butnone have been received.

25. Eulampis holosericeus(Linn.).

"Green orBlue-throated

Hummingbird."

" Thisis notso abundantas the others. It prefersshade

and

seclu- sion. Inoticed the curious habit first in this species, thatit possesses in

common

with the larger, of flittingaboutinthedarkforest, where a

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 61

gleamof lightwould penetrate. Itwould dart

aud

double with rapid- ity, occasionally fluttering on suspended wing, likea

Hawk,

then dart offtoa neartwig,whence, afterresting awhile,itwould renewitsforage

upon

the diminutiveinsectssportingin the rayof duskylight.

'Procured anest

and

twoeggs, inJune,from a ^'cactus' tree."

" Length, ^, 4J^{in.; alarextent, C}; wing,2^."

26. Thalurania •wagleri(Less.).

" White-throat

Hummer."

September,^1877.

"This

bird I found tolerably abundant, principally in the shady mountain paths of the ^' high

woods

'. I saw but onebefore (earlierin the year) in March, while on

my way

to the Boiling Lake. It

may

be the

young

of No. 3G8or 369,butof thisyoucan judge, asI sendspeci-

mens

of each kind. luhabits the mountains.

" Length, 9, 4i_{in.; alar extent, G;} wing,2|."

Mr. Ober's note given above refers to the female of this species, of whichtwo examples were sentⁱⁿ his last collection; alsoone male, No.

3G9; onthelabelofthis specimenhewrote, "Purple-throat

Hummer,

,?!.

Length, 4i^{in.; alarextent, G;} wing, 2^." (No. 3G8 isEulampis holose- riceus.) This is the first allusion he has

made

to itsbeing adistinct species, whichis difficult toaccount ^for, as themaleis also verydiffer-

entin appearance from the threeother speciesfound abundantlyin the island. In hisfirstcollection,seven males of T. tcagleri weresent, but there isnonote or

any comment

to lead tothe supposition thathecon- sidered ita fourth species

—

thethree regularformsbeing the only ones spoken of.

The

female of thisspecies appears tohave been

more

rarely obtained than the male.

It has the crown

and

upper tail-coverts bluish-green, the upper

plumage and

wing-coverts dark green tingedwith golden; the middle

tail-feathers are golden bronze, ending with greenish-blue; the other tail-feathersare greenish-blue,withtheirbases goldenbronze,

and

ending with grayish-white; thelores, aline undertheeye,

and

the earcoverts areblack; the under

plumage

is ashy-white; thebill isentirely black.

The

procuration of the female establishes this species as being ^resi- dentinDominica.

27. Orthorhynchus exilis (Gm.).

"Small Crested

Hummer."

"This species iscalled

by

the natives,^'Fou,Fou,' or ^'crazy,crazy,'

fromitseccentricmotionsin theair.

"_Itisnot

uncommon

along the coast

and

in thelowervalleys. Al- most the only specieson the Atlantic side in April

and May. Very

abundanteverywhere.

Took

first nest,

March

20, in Shawford Valley

;

foundothers as lateas

June

20, at Batalie, onsea-coast.

" In order of numerical abundance thisspecies canbefirst, the Crim- son-throat second, theBlue ^orViolet-breastthird.

"Length,3^ ^{in.; alarextent,} 4f^{; wing,2, c?."}

62 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

Fam. CYPSELID^.

28. Chaetura poliura(Temm.)-

'•Swift.

''This birdonly appears after arain, then ingreat numbers, darting swiftly about, disappearing as soon as it Las ceased. In

March saw

butthree atthe MountainLake,2,300feet. In

June

they

had

descended tothevalleys,

and

were even sporting abouttheseashore.

"

They

liveand breed

among

theclififs,high

up

the mountains

and

near the waterfalls of the Eoseau Yalley.

Abundant

also at Batalie?

lower

down

^thecoast.

"Length, <?, 4§ in.; alarextent, 10^ ; wing, ^3|.''

I have never seen an example ofC.poliura^ but as the bird under investigation agreesin i)lumagequite wellwith the descriptionof that species given by Mr. Sclater(P. Z. S. 1865,p. 611), I havecalled it so provisionally; it differs, however, in dimensions, the

wing

especially beingshorter.

29. "Swift."

'•A speciesof Swift,intermediate in sizebetween the small Swift

and

the largeMartin."

This specieshasnot yetbeen obtained.

Fam. ALCEDINID^.

30. Ceryle alcyon (Liun.).

"Kingfisher."'

"Seenin Aprilon the

windward

^{side of}Dominica,

and

againin Sep- tember on the leeward,or Caribbean ^side. In September it appears moreplentiful. Undoubtedlyaresident."

i^^ospecimen sent, butisthisspecies without

much

doubt.

Fam. CUCULID^.

31. Coccyzus minor(Gm.).

"Cuckoo; Manioc."

"Not

veryplentiful; unsuspicious, stupid; its cry similar to thatof Yellow-billedCuckoo, but

more

prolonged,sharper,

and

harsher.

"Nestingin

May

; inhabits thelow shrubs

and

treesof old clearings.

"Length, (?, 13in.; alar extent, 16J; wing, 5J.

"Length, 9, 13J ^in.; alar extent, 17; wing, 5|."

Fam. PSITTACID^.

32. Chrysotisaugusta(Vig.).

"

'Cicero.'

"Exceptinthe rainyseason, this bird canonly befound in thehigh mountains,where

grow

themountainpalm,^owier, hois diable,iindother

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 63

treesof mountain growth, upon the seedsofwhich it feeds. It is there abundant,yet shy

and

difficult to approach. Its cry is harsh, resem- bling thecall of a

Wild

Turkey.

Morning and

eveningtheycall oneto another for perhaps an hour; during the rest of theday theyremain

silent, except for an occasional cry.

When

a

gun

isfired,theyall cry out,

and

then keep perfectsilence.

They

donot seem to associate in docks at this season, like theParrot, but are found

more

often inpairs.

They

breed inthe hollow topsof high trees,

and

the

young

are rarely taken.

When

caught young,theyreadily learn totalk.

The

only

manner

in which oneissecured alive is by being wounded.

"_It descends to the valleys in the rainy season to

some

extent, but prefers the mountains.

At

that time they are veryfat,excellent eating,

and much

hunted.

"_I

made

an excursion into their mountain fastnesses,

camping

on their feeding grounds, but only secured three (though assisted

by

the Caribhunters), the country

was

sowild

and

thebirds so shy.

''Length, <?, 21in.; alar extent, 35; wing, 11.

"Length, 9,22in.; alar extent, 36; wing, 12."

As

specimensof the Imperial Parrot are exceedinglyrare in collec- lions,

and

a descriptionof it not readily available, Ithoughtthatone taken from the examplesbefore

me

might proveuseful.

The

male hason thefrontadjoining the bill a narrowlineof a dark -warm

brown

color; thefeathersof thecrown

and

occiput are of a rather

•dull bluish-green, with lighter terminations; the feathers of the hind neck,

and

extending around in front, are bronzy-green, with a broad subterminal

band

of dark bluish-purple,

and

ending with black; the feathersof the back, wing-coverts, flanks,

and

upper tail-covertsare of abright,ratherdarkgreen,conspicuouslyedgedwithlighterorverditer- green; these terminaledgings arecrossed with

waving

dark

marks

like water-lines; thetail-feathersarereddish-brown,havingtheirbases green for a short space, the

two

middle feathers

show more

green; theedge of the

wing

is scarlet (not theflexure); the primaries have theirouter

webs

bright dark green for two-thirds their length, the terminal third of a brownish-purple; the firstquill is entirely,

and

the inner

webs

of the others areof a dark purple; all but the first primary have their outer

webs

incised; the secondaries have their outer

webs

green; on theouter two a speculumof scarlet; the inner

webs

aredark purple;

on the chin

and

sides of the throat adjoining, the feathers are dark iDrown, with coppery terminations; the ear-coverts are brown, ending withlight bluish; thefeathers ofthelower part of thethroat,thebreast,

and abdomen

arebronzy darkolive,broadly

marked

subterminally with an opalescent

band

of violet-purpleand light blue,changeableindiffer-

ent lights,theirterminalmargins areblack; the upper mandible^isdark horn-color,with a whitish

mark

on its side at the base; theunderman- dible islighter; the feetblackish-brown.

The

femalespecimen has the colors a little duller, and thespeculum

less bright, but it

may

be possiblyyounger.

64 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

33. "Parrot."

"Not abundant

"Thisbird, about the sizeofour Northern Carolina Parrot, but

more

robust,isveryshy, keeping mainly^{tothe higher}mountains; sometimes descendingto the inner valleys, tofeed

upon

the wild guavas.

"_Itissometimes capturedby being wing-broken,

and

takes kindlyto confinement, but unlike ^itslargerbrother, theCicero, does not learn to talk. It congregatesin small flocks. It is oftenershot inthe

months

between September

and

February.

A

very beneficentlawofDominica prohibits the shooting of Parrots, Ciceros, Eamiers, &c., in any other months, thus ensuringprotection during the breedingseason."

This species

was

not obtained by Mr. Ober.

Fam. STRIGID^.

34. Strix flammea var. nigrescena, Lawr.

"Owl.

'Shawah.'

" Very rare; itscry even is seldom heard. Ithaunts principally the mountains

and

highervalleys_; buildsitsnestin a hollowtree,orinthe hollow ofalarge limb,

and

layseggs ^{elliptical in} shape, white

and

gran- ular. Inthiscase they were threein number,

and

fromthe appearance of the ovules, were the full complement.

They

were newly ^laid, Sep- tember^19."

Ifind this tobeaverydarkvarietyofStrixflammea.

At my

^request,

Mr.Ridgway

sent

me

a specimen of the dark-plumaged form(var. guate- mal(C,frQm CostaKica), spoken of in N.A.Birds,v. _2,p. 14.

On

compa-

rison,the difference is very

marked

^: the example from Costa Rica is

above brown, intermixed with rufous,

and

closely freckled with fine whitish vermiculations^; it is also marked, not closely, with whitish ovate spots surrounded with black; thecolor below is dark reddish- ochraceous,with blacksagittate spots.

The

sex notgiven. Itmeasures, length, 14i ^in.; wing, 13; tail,6; tarsus,_2^.

The

male fromDominica has the upper

plumage

of afineblackish- brown, rather sparsely

marked

with small white spots; the tail is crossed with alternate bandsof

brown

and light dullochraceousfreck- led with brown ; thewings arethe color of the back,

somewhat

inter-

mixed with rufous; the under

plumage

is light reddish-ochraceous,

marked

withsmallround black spots(thecoloris lighterthanthe under plumageof the CostaRica specimen); the endsof the ruft'-feathers are dark reddish-brown; feathers around the eye,black5 the face isof a lightreddish fawn ^color. "_{Bill white; iris} deep chocolate,halfan inch in diameter."

Length (fresh), 13 in.; wing, 10_; tail, 4^; tarsus, 2.

The

femaleis of the

same

dark color above,with the white spots so minute as to be scarcely perceptible; the tail is darker; the under plumage of a darker reddish-ochraceous than in the male (not so dark

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 65

as that^of the CostaEicaspecimen), afewroundish black spots on the breast; on the

abdomen

the markingsare in clusters,

and

irregular in form.

Length (skin), 13 in.; wing, _9^ ; tail,^43-; tarsus, _2^.

Besides its

much

darker upper plumage, the Dominican formisof

much

smallerdimensions.

The

colorof theeggs isdead white; theymeasure in length 1.60

by

1.22in breadth.

Fam. FALCONID^.

35. Pandion haliaetus (Linn.).

" Fish-hawk."

"Seen circling over the seain September."

36. Buteo pennsylvanicus (Wils.).

"'Mai tlui.' St. Marie, Indian country.

" This birdcoursesabovethe valley,uttering its cry of^'

Mai

fini,fini'.

Itisnot abundant; eats lizards aswell as smallbirds.

The

^largest of the

Hawks

hereresident. Iris amber.

"Length, <?, 15in. ; alarextent, 32; wing,10^.

"Length, 9, 15 in.; alar extent, 32; wing, 10."

37. Tinnunculus sparverius var. antillarum (Gm.).

"^'Gleeglee.' I^owhereabundant.

" Length, ^, lOiin.; alarextent, 20; wing,Of."

The

two specimens sent were submitted to Mr.

Ridgway

fordeter- mination;hewrote

me

as follows^:

—

_"

The

_Dominica Timiuncuhisisi