THE BIRDS OP HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 65 



Nicolas and of one noted at Bizoton. Bond recorded them on the 

 rugged north coast of Tortue Island, March 23, 1928, and believed 

 that they were nesting there. 



The tropic-bird is found usually near rocky headlands or along sea- 

 cliffs, but may occur casually anywhere along salt water. It is 

 sometimes seen far at sea. 



The tropic-bird is white, the feathers of breast and back usually 

 with a faint blush of pink, with black about the eye and on the 

 wing. The strong bill is yellow or orange yellow. The young have 

 the back rather finely barred with blackish. The bird is 480 to 600 

 mm. or more long, the two long slender median tail feathers pro- 

 jecting far beyond the others composing one half or more of this 

 length. In general form it suggests a gull but is easily distinguished 

 by the form of the tail. 



Suborder PELECANI 



Superfamily PELECANIDES 



Family PELECANIDAE 



PELECANUS OCCIDENTALIS OCCIDENTALIS Linnaeus 22 

 BROWN PELICAN, ALCATRAZ, PELICAN, GRAND-GOSIER, BLAGUE-A-DIABLE 



Pelecanus onocrotalus p occidcntalis Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., eel. 12, vol. 1, 

 1766, p. 215 (West Indies). 



Alcatraz, Oviedo, Hist. Gen. Nat. Indias, Libr. 14, Cap. 6, (Reprint) Madrid, 

 1851, pp. 444-445 (Santo Domingo City; description, habits). 



Grand-Gosier, Charlevoix, Hist. Isle Espagnole, vol. 1, 1733, pp. 40-41 (de- 

 scription; mention of white pelican). 



Pelecan, Buffon, Hist. Nat. Ois., vol. 8, 1781, p. 294 (" Saint-Domingue "). — 

 Descourtilz, Voy. Nat., vol. 2, 1809, pp. 241-243 (uses for pouch). 



Pelikan, Hartert, Nov. Zool., vol. 9, 1902, p. 293 (Sanchez). 



Pelecanus onocrotalus, Ritter, Naturh. Reis. Westind. Insel Hayti, 1836, pp. 

 152, 157 (listed). 



Pelecanus fuscus, Cory, Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, 1881, p. 155 (abundant) ; 

 Birds Haiti and San Domingo, March, 1885, p. 172 (Port-au-Prince, St. Marc; 

 common) ; Cat. West Indian Birds, 1S92. p. 85 (Haiti, Dominican Republic). — 

 Tlppenhauer, Die Insel Haiti, 1892, pp. 317-318 (listed).— Cherrie, Field Col. 



22 Charlevoix (Hist. Isle Espagnole, vol. 1, 1733, pp. 40-41) described the pelican 

 rather fully remarking " au bord de la mer, ofi sa couleur est toil jours, d'un cendie obscur, 

 & de long des rivieres, ofl il est, au moins en quelques endroits, d'un tres-beau blanc." 

 The last phrase seems to indicate the occurrence of the white pelican (Pelecanus 

 erythrorhynchos) in early times, a species larger than tbe brown pelican and colored 

 white. His observation is especially apt since he says that the white form occurs on 

 rivers as the white pelican frequents fresh waters. However, no other report of the 

 species is known so that this record, alone from the fact that it is made rather casually, 

 is not considered sufficient to give the species full standing in the insular list, particu- 

 larly since it is possible that Charlevoix may have confused the pelican with some other 

 large white bird. 



