THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 63 



depicted in lifelike attitude resting on its breast on land at the edge 

 of a body of water. This plate (No. 42) is labelled Le Diablotin 

 and is indicated as made " au Cap le 26 8bre 1778. Rabie." The 

 attitude of the bird suggests strongly that the artist saw it alive. 

 Dr. C. W. Richmond notes that on April 20 or 21, 1900 while travelling 

 by steamer along the north coast of the Dominican Republic he 

 distinctly saw three of these birds flying in toward the land. More 

 recently Moltoni reports a specimen collected at Moca, May 15, 1928, 

 where the bird is to be considered a stray as this is an inland locality. 



This petrel nested formerly on Guadeloupe and Dominica in the 

 Lesser Antilles in abundance but has not been found on its breeding 

 grounds in recent years. Both J. T. Nichols and Wetmore have 

 observed it in the past fifteen years at sea off the West Indian 

 Islands. 



The black-capped petrel is dark brownish black above with white 

 under parts and upper tail coverts and a white band across the hind- 

 neck. It is about 370 mm. long, with the wing about 290 mm. The 

 nostrils are tubular as in all birds of its group. 



Family HYDROBATIDAE 



OCEANODROMA LEUCORHOA LEUCORHOA (Vieillot) 



LEACH'S PETREL 



Procellaria leucorhoa Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 25, 1817, p. 422 

 (maritime parts of Picardy, France). 



Dominican Republic, casual. 



On May 11, 1927, Wetmore shot a male Leach's petrel on Samana 

 Bay midway between Sanchez and San Lorenzo Bay. The bird was 

 alone and was flying low over the water. No one who examined it 

 in Sanchez had ever seen one previously, and this individual must 

 be considered merely a stray that had wandered in from the ocean. 

 On Atlantic coasts the species nests from Maine north to Greenland 

 and in winter passes south to the Equator or casually farther. It is 

 seldom seen near land except on its breeding grounds. 



This petrel is slaty brown in color throughout, blacker on wings 

 and tail, with a brownish band along the wing coverts, and white 

 upper tail-coverts. It is about 185 mm. long with the wing from 

 148 to 163 mm. long. The nostrils are enclosed in a tube. 



OCEANITES OCEANICUS OCEANICUS (Kuhl) 



WILSON'S PETREL 



Procellaria oceanica Kuhl, Beitrage Zool., 1S20, p. 136, pi. 10, fig. 1 (southern 

 Atlantic Ocean, off the mouth of the Rio de la Plata). 21 



Oceanites oceanicus, Danforth, Auk, 1929, p. 359 (Dominican Republic). 



21 Designated by Mathews, Birds Austr., vol. 2, May 30, 1912, p. 13. 



