THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 



By Alexander Wetmore 



Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution 



AND 



Bradshaw H. Swales 

 Honorary Assistant Curator of Birds, United States National Museum 



INTRODUCTION 



The island that Columbus named Hispaniola, divided politically 

 in modern times between the Dominican Republic and the Republic 

 of Haiti biologically is the most interesting of the Greater Antilles 

 since in its great area of elevated mountains it has preserved remnants 

 of life of an ancient type that elsewhere in the West Indies has dis- 

 appeared. Though naturalists began their observations in Hispaniola 

 in the days of Columbus since when many strange and peculiar forms 

 have become known, only within the past fifteen years has there come 

 a definite understanding of the importance of Hispaniola in out- 

 lining problems of distribution in this general area. Advance in mod- 

 ern knowledge of the life of this island has been due in large measure 

 to the efforts of the veteran explorer Dr. W. L. Abbott. Since an 

 early visit to the Dominican Republic in 1883 Doctor Abbott has been 

 interested in Hispaniola and has visited the region of Samana Bay 

 repeatedly in the intervals between travels in more distant parts of 

 the world. In 1916, he began definitely to make systematic collections 

 on the island, which he continued until 1923, in that time amassing 

 series of specimens, particularly in birds, mammals, reptiles, amphib- 

 ians and plants, with material in less amount from various other 

 groups. Since ceasing active personal work he has retained his inter- 

 est in the island and has financed extensive work on the part of other 

 naturalists. The rich collections thus obtained have all come to the 

 Smithsonian Institution for the United States National Museum, and 

 have given this institution the finest collections extant from the island 

 in question. Though undertaken primarily to fill gaps in our collec- 

 tions the information that immediately became available was ob- 

 viously so extended and so important that several reports on the col- 

 lections have been planned. As the Museum collections became ex- 



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