THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 81 



Ardea caerulea, Hitter, Naturh. Reis. Westind. Insel Hayti, 1836, p. 157 

 (listed). — Cory, Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, 1881, p. 155 (specimens, Haiti) ; 

 Birds Haiti and San Domingo, Dec, 1884, p. 154 (idem.) ; Cat. West Indian 

 Birds, 1892, p. 90 (Haiti, Dominican Republic). — Tristbam, Ibis, 1884, p. 168 

 (specimen, Dominican Republic) ; Cat. Coll. Birds belonging H. B. Tristram. 

 1889, p. 270 (specimen, Dominican Republic). — Tippenhauer, Die Insel Haiti, 

 1892, pp. 317, 323 (listed).— Cherrie, Field Columbian Mus., Ornith. ser., vol. 

 1, 1896, p. 25 (specimen).— Christy, Ibis, 1897, pp. 338-339 (Sanchez). 



Ardea caerulea caerulescens, Verrill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 

 1909, p. 355 (abundant). 



Florida caerulea, Peters, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 6, 1917, pp. 397-398 

 (common). 



Florida caerulea caerulescens, Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 

 80, 1928, p. 490 (Etang Miragoane, Fort Liberie, Gonave Island). — Danforth, 

 Auk, 1929. p. 360 ( common ) .— Moltoni, Att. Soc. Ital. Scienz. Nat., vol. 68, 1929, 

 p. 308 (Bonao, Santiago, specimens). 



Resident; common in the lowlands, particularly in the coastal 

 lagoons. 



The little blue heron is one of the common herons of the island, 

 that through lack of decorative plumes has escaped the fate of the 

 more highly ornamented egrets. It is found in great abundance in 

 the shallow lagoons grown with mangroves that often border the 

 outer margins of the coastal plain, particularly at the mouths of 

 streams, and also occurs inland about fresh water lakes. In addition 

 it ranges in the interior along some of the small streams where these 

 flow quietly with sluggish current. 



In the vicinity of Samana Bay these herons abound. Verrill 

 records them as common on the water front near the town of 

 Samana, and in the collection of J. H. Fleming there is a series 

 of eleven skins taken by Verrill on the Caria Honda, San Lorenzo 

 Bay, from December 30, 190G to January 12, 1907. They range 

 along the lower Yuna and Arroyo Barrancota, and on May 11, 1927, 

 Wetmore found a number of occupied nests containing either eggs 

 or small young in trees on the slopes of the Cayos de los Pajaros 

 at the entrance of San Lorenzo Bay. Christy reported them as com- 

 mon and Peters found them on the north coast. Abbott recorded 

 them near Duverge on Lake Enriquillo from October 1 to 6, 1919. 

 Ciferri obtained specimens near Bongo on the Rio Masimpedro 

 December 12, 1926, on the Yuna February 2, 8 and 20, 1927, and at 

 Santiago October 20, 1927. 



In Haiti Abbott secured one at Moron on December 18, 1918, an 

 inland localitj^, and "Wetmore saw the species along a small stream, 

 the Riviere des Cotes de Fer, at the Coffee Experiment Station at 

 Fonds-des-Negres. Little blue herons were seen in many hundreds 

 by Wetmore on April 28, 1927, in passing in an airplane low over the 

 lagoons near Gonai'ves and Desdunes. From some of the bays a 



