THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 23 



ing as nearly as may be ascertained at this late date through love 

 of adventure and to aid somewhat in collecting new material for 

 science. All that is known of this expedition is contained in letters 

 addressed to Baird preserved in the files of the United States 

 National Museum, and a manuscript catalogue of the collection em- 

 bracing 141 specimens that came to the Smithsonian Institution. 

 Younglove and Beardsley left New York about December 15, 1865, 

 and were shipwrecked on the Jersey coast, barely escaping with their 

 baggage. They returned to New York to set out again about two 

 weeks later and arrived at Port-au-Prince January 15, 1866. Young- 

 love writes of the comparative scarcity of birds so far as species are 

 concerned, and of his difficulties in securing information about the 

 habits of his specimens because of his lack of knowledge of the 

 language of the country. Most of his collecting was done in the 

 vicinity of Port-au-Prince, though he made one trip to Jeremie on 

 the southwestern peninsula. He describes the mountains as im- 

 penetrable because of the condition of the trails, and remarks on the 

 unhealthiness of the country. One of his skins is marked Le Coup 

 and several are labeled " Mountains " without any other data. They 

 probably come from the area near Kenscoff or Furcy. He speaks in 

 his letters of a plan to visit some salt lakes 30 miles away, evidently 

 the Etang Saumatre, but apparently did not put this into effect. 

 His work was finished about July 1, 1866, when he returned home. 

 Many of his specimens are still preserved in the United States Na- 

 tional Museum while others have been distributed to other insti- 

 tutions. The collection was reported on in 1867 by Dr. Henry 

 Bryant, who described five species from it as new to science. 



The most important observations and collections in natural history 

 that have been made in Hispaniola have been those of the veteran 

 explorer Dr. William L. Abbott who, following his early work of 

 1883, returned to the island in the summer of 1916 and continued 

 work with only brief interruptions for journeys to the United States 

 until the close of 1923. During this extended period Doctor Abbott 

 visited all of the important districts of the area under consideration, 

 penetrating to the most remote sections, and amassed collections for 

 the Smithsonian Institution that are without equal elsewhere. In 

 addition to his own efforts, he took with him on various occasions 

 Mr. E. C. Leonard of the division of plants in the United States Na- 

 tional Museum, and after ceasing active work in the field himself has 

 continued his interest through providing the means for further travel 

 on the part of others. It is his efforts in this field that have made 

 possible the present report on the birds. The itinerary that follows 

 is taken from manuscript notes and other sources and is sufficiently 

 complete to indicate the places and periods of collecting. 



