12 BULLETIN" 15 5, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Early interest in science in the island turned to plants rather than 

 to other branches of natural history. Charles Plumier made botanical 

 collections in 1690. Jean Baptiste Rene Pouppe Desportes collected 

 plants at Cap-Haitien in 1732, and Pere Xicolson made similar col- 

 lections for several years, publishing hi 1776 a natural history of the 

 island in which however he makes no reference to birds. In the 

 Dominican Republic Olaf Swartz collected plants about 1781 to 

 17S6, and Turpin from 1791 to about 1802 carried on similar studies 

 near Cap-Haitien and on Tortue Island. Poiteau, from 1791 to 

 about 1801, was engaged in similar researches on the north side of the 

 island. 



M. E. Descourtilz, according to his Voyages d'un Naturaliste, pub- 

 lished in Paris in 1809, came to Port-au-Prince on April 2, 1799, 

 continuing on April 7 to St. Marc where apparently he arrived two 

 days later. Here he speaks of observations at the Lagon Peinier in 

 the plain of the Artibonite, and on April 16 passed by way of Pont 

 de TEstere to Gonaives and Plaisance, so that on April 26 he was in 

 Cap-Haitien. Returning immediately to Gonaives he studied and 

 collected for some time at the Artibonite. near Desdunes, and at Gros 

 Morne. On August 4 he set out for Port-au-Prince, continuing by 

 land to L'Arcahaie. and from there by boat to his destination. On 

 August 22 he began the return journey to St. Marc. Until February 

 and March. 1800. his further travels covered familiar ground, when 

 he made an expedition into the mountains of Cibao, returning to 

 St. Marc, April 6. At about this time he was taken captive during the 

 revolt of the negro slaves, and was held for some time, this termi- 

 nating his natural history observations. He finally obtained freedom 

 and left the island on " 1 Prairial, an XI " of the revolutionary cal- 

 endar (about May 23, 1803). The list of birds in his account of his 

 expedition comprises about 56 species, named in part after Brisson, 

 and in part not described sufficiently for certain identification. His 

 accounts are frequently of interest though concerned principally with 

 hunting birds for game. 



William Walton, jr. in 1810. in an account of the Present State 

 of the Spanish Colonies, included a brief statement of the game 

 birds of Hispaniola that has some records of value. 



Karl Ritter, who is indicated on the title page of his book Xatur- 

 histoiische Reise nach der Westindischen Insel Hayti auf Kosfcen Sr. 

 Majestat des Kaisers von Oesterreich. published in Stuttgart in 1836, 

 as " Gartendirector in Ungarn und Mitgleid mehrerer gelehrten 

 Gesellschaf ten " came on April 14. 1820, to Cap-Haitien, where 

 through force of circumstances he remained for some time, not per- 

 mitted to travel except in the immediate neighborhood. On October 

 16 he records a journey to Sans Souci where he speaks of the Cita- 

 delle but was not allowed to enter though he climbed the hill on 



