THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 69 



The adult brown booby has the entire upper surface, the neck and 

 upper breast dark brown, and the remainder of the lower surface 

 white. Immature birds are entirely grayish brown, paler below, 

 with the primaries blackish. In the first year it is similar to the red- 

 footed booby of similar age but does not have the red feet of that 

 species and is slightly larger. The brown booby is approximately 

 760 mm. in length and has a strong, heavy bill. 



SULA PISCATOR (Linnaens) 

 RED-FOOTED BOOBY, PAJARO BOBO, FOTT 



Pelecanus piscator Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 134 (Java 

 Seas). 



Sula piscator, Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 80, 1928, p. 519 

 (listed). — Danforth, Auk, 1929, p. 360 (Saona Island). — Lonnberg, Fauna och 

 Flora, 1929, p. 100 (Navassa, specimens). — Ekman, Ark. for Bot., vol. 22A, 

 No. 16, p. 6 (Navassa, breeding). 



Recorded from Navassa Island, and off the Haitian coast opposite ; 

 probably breeding on Navassa. 



Mr. W. B. Alexander informs me that on March 8, 1926, as he 

 passed Navassa Island small parties of red-footed boobies flying 

 over the sea were frequent, and were in view regularly until evening 

 when the high mountains of Haiti were dimly visible through the 

 haze. Toward evening the birds were evidently heading toward 

 Navassa Island to spend the night. Dr. E. L. Ekman secured two 

 on Navassa that he forwarded to Lonnberg, and writes that the birds 

 were nesting there in numbers. 



There is a breeding colony on Desecheo Island in Mona Passage 

 so that these birds may be expected at times to range off the eastern 

 coast of the Dominican Republic with the brown booby. Danforth 

 records one seen by F. P. Mathews near Saona Island, June 14, 1927. 



The red-footed booby has habits similar to those of the related 

 species and likewise secures its food by diving from the air. 



The adult of this species is marked by pure white plumage except 

 for the black primaries and black tips on the greater wing coverts 

 and secondaries. The immature bird is sooty gray, paler on the 

 head and lower surface, with a very faintly indicated darker band 

 across the breast, and whitish tips on the tail. In a later stage the 

 undersurface may be nearly white with faint indication of the dark 

 pectoral band and the dorsal surface paler gray. Occasional indi- 

 viduals that appear fully adult have the posterior part of the body, 

 including the tail pure white, and the rest of the plumage gray. 

 The immature stage is distinguished from the brown booby only 

 by slightly smaller size and red feet and tarsi. In this dress the 

 two can rarely be separated unless in the hand except by one familiar 

 with them. 



