ART. 25] NOTES ON HISPANIOLAN BIRDS — WETMORE AND LINCOLN 27 



Family OEDICNEMIDAE, Thick-knees 



OEDICNEMUS DOMINICENSIS Cory 



HisPANioLAN Thick-knee 



OEdicnemus dominicensis Cory, Quart. Journ. Boston Zool. Soc, Oct. 1883, p. 46 

 (La Vega, Dominican Republic). 



The Hispaniolan thick-knee was actually observed on but one 

 occasion when a pair was found in the raesquite at Pont de I'Estere, 

 Haiti, on March 31. They were ridiculously tame and made no attempt 

 to fly, merely running short distances in a petulant manner as though 

 resentful at being forced to move. One of these was collected and 

 apparently constitutes the first specimen for Haiti, although the bird 

 has been reported previously on a few occasions.* The collection of 

 this specimen definitely identified a local name, coq savanne, which 

 was immediately used by our native guide in referring to it. 



We were informed that the bucaro occurred on Beata Island, 

 Dominican Republic, but it was not seen by us in the portions of the 

 island visited. There are, however, open savannas of rather limited 

 size that may be suited to its needs. Its habit of standing motionless 

 for long periods, coupled with its highly protective coloration, may 

 easily account for its being overlooked in many areas. Its occurrence 

 here is, however, subject to verification. 



In a recent letter Dr. R. Ciferri states that the specimen recorded 

 by Moltoni ^ as from San Juan, Dominican Republic, refers to a bird 

 in captivity that was brought to San Juan from Moca, in the north. 

 On its death it was made into a skin and through some misunderstand- 

 ing San Juan was given as its proper locality. Dr. Ciferri writes 

 that the bucaro is known properly in the south only from the great 

 Sabana de Guerra, or Sabana de Guabatico, where both he and his 

 brother have observed it. In the north he states that it ranges from 

 Bonao to Dajabon along the base of the Cordillera Central in open 

 valle^^s and savannas. It does not seem to pass beyond the base of 

 the Cordillera Septentrional, being thus restricted to the great valley 

 of the Cibao, extending from Monte Cristi to Sabana la Mar. He 

 comments on the frequent occurrence of the bird in captivity, and of 

 one of its peculiarities in attitude in which it frequently rests with 

 the entire tarsus extended along the ground. The eggs, two to four 

 in number, he says are desposited in slight hollows without nest 

 lining. They are grayish in color, heavily dotted with small markings 

 of brown. 



Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Boog-Scott informed us that they were now 

 certain of the occurrence of the coq savanne on the open gravel knolls 

 near the experiment station at Hinche, Haiti. 



* See Wetmore and Swales, The birds of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 

 155, 1931, p. 197. 

 i Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat., vol. 68, 1929, p. 314. 



