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BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



available for study. Both Ridgway's specimens from Guadeloupe 

 (Bull. 50, U. S. N. M., 1911, pt. 5, p. 706) and my series average 

 slightly smaller than the Jamaican birds while the specimens from 

 Dominica average larger. 



Ridgway {Loc. cit., p. 704) refers the Cuban bird to N. nigcr nigcr. 

 The single specimen before me from Cuba, M. C. Z. 61113, is equally 

 dark as the specimens from Jamaica and seems indistinguishable from 

 them. It is included in the following table of measurements. 



• Measurements in Millimeters. 



The Black Swift is especially abundant on the edges of the " Grand 

 Bois." It was observed at nearl}^ every localit}^ visited except the 

 flat land of Grande Terre. The bird is called L'hirondelle de Mon- 

 tagne by the natives because it appears just before sunset flying in 

 great flocks from the mountains. I found it to be wholly an early 

 morning and late afternoon flier. None of my guides knew anything 

 of its breeding habits. But since the bird always comes from and 

 retreats to the deep rain forest it is not improbable that it may roost 

 in some of the big hollow trees on the mountain slopes. 



23. Chaetura acuta (Gmelin). 



Petit Martinet Noir. Hirondelle-Mouche. 



Eleven specimens of both sexes from Goyave, August 29th and 30th. 



The Lesser Antillean Swift was observed at only a few localities, 



first on July 4th at Ste. Claude flying with a number of Black 



