THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 61 



1919 at Lake Enriquillo by G. M. Allen. Descourtilz found these 

 birds rather common on the Riviere Ester e, where he shot them for 

 his negro companions to eat. He relates an incident where he had 

 killed one and a boy was swimming out to retrieve it when the bird 

 was seized and drawn down by a large caiman. Danforth records 

 young one-third grown July 28 and 29 on the Artibonite beyond St. 

 Marc. Bond says that he found these birds common on the lakes 

 and rivers of Haiti, stating specifically that he saw them at the Etang 

 Miragoane, and on the Artibonite River. As has been previously 

 mentioned Poole and Perrygo shot three immature birds molting 

 into first fall plumage at Fort Liberte February 14 and 15, 1929. 



The adult bird above is blackish brown; below silvery white, 

 washed with brownish on the chest, and more or less mottled with 

 blackish on sides and under surface; throat black; bill strong and 

 heavy, with a blackish band across the center; feet strongly lobed, 

 projecting far back on the body; length about 340 mm., wing 113 to 

 124 mm. The immature bird is whiter below and has the throat 

 white. The species is distinguished from the West Indian grebe 

 by larger size and thick heavy bill. 



Order PROCELLARIIFORMES 



Family PROCELLARIIDAE 



PUFFINUS LHERMINIERI LHERMINIERI Lesson 

 AUDUBON'S SHEARWATER 



Puffinus Iherminieri Lesson, Rev. Zool., vol. 2, 1839, p. 102 ("Ad ripas 

 Antillarum "). 



Procellaria obscura, Beyant, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 11, May, 1867, 

 p. 98 (between Haiti and Navassa). 



Puffinus obscurus, Coby, Birds Haiti and San Domingo, March, 1885, p. 184 

 (at sea, twenty miles north of Tortue Island). — Tippenhaueb, Die Insel Haiti, 

 1892, p. 323 (listed). 



Puffinus auduboni, Coby, Cat. West Indian Birds, 1892, p. 83 (Haiti and San 

 Domingo ) . 



Puffinus Iherminieri llierminieri, Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 

 80, 1928, p. 489 (near Inagua Island).— Danfobth, Auk, 1929, p. 360 (north of 

 Puerto Plata). 



The exact status of Audubon's shearwater on the coasts of His- 

 paniola is at present uncertain. Bryant refers to it under the name 

 Procellaria obscura, remarking that " the last eight birds were seen 

 by myself off the coast, at a short distance from land, between St. 

 Domingo and the island of Navassa." Cory says that numbers were 

 seen at sea about twenty miles north of Tortue Island. On June 30, 

 1927, Emlen found it common fifty miles north of Puerto Plata. 

 2134—31 5 



