THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 85 



anterior underparts whitish streaked with grayish and the dorsal 

 surface duller. These birds range from 410 to 470 mm. in length, 

 and have the wing from 162 to 175 mm. long. 



NYCTICORAX NYCTICORAX HOACTLI (Gmelin) 



BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, YABOA, GALLINAZO, COO-D'EAU, COQ DE 



NUIT, QUOCK 



Ardea Hoactli Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 630 (in Novae His- 

 paniae lacubus). 



Coq-d'eau, Descoubtilz, Voy. Nat., vol. 2, 1809, pp. 238-239 (reported). 



Nyctiardea naevia, Tippenhauer, Die Insel Haiti, 1892, p. 323 (listed). — 

 Chbistt, Ibis, 1897, p. 341 (Yuna swamps). 



Nycticorax nycticorax naevius, Petees, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 61, 1917, 

 p. 398 (Rio Sosua).— Ciferri, Seguud. Inf. An. Est. Nac. Agr. Moca, 1927, p. 6 

 (listed).— Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 80, 1928, p. 490 (listed). 

 — Danfobth, Auk, 1929, p. 360 (Artibonite, Les Salines). — Moltoni, Att. Soc. 

 Ital. Scienz. Nat., vol. 68, p. 309 (Haina, specimen). 



Apparently resident, though migrants come from North America 

 during the northern winter; rather rare. 



The status of this heron is uncertain as there are few records. 

 Christy found it several times in the Yuna region. Peters records 

 two near the Rio Sosua, April 10, 1916. Abbott collected a female 

 near Sanchez February 6, 1919. Wetmore saw three along the 

 Arroyo Guayabo near where that stream enters the Yuna on May 10, 

 1927, and noted several on the following day on the islets known as 

 Cayos de los Pajaros at the entrance of San Lorenzo Bay. Ciferri 

 secured one near Haina April 4, 1926. In Haiti the species is re- 

 ported by Descourtilz, who says it is excellent for the table, by Tip- 

 penhauer (without locality or comment), and by Bartsch who 

 observed it on the salt flats north of Port-au-Prince, April 25, 1917. 

 Danforth in 1927 saw one on the Artibonite beyond St. Marc July 

 29, and six at Les Salines July 30. Though some individuals of the 

 black-crowned night heron may be resident others come from the 

 north during winter. To Dr. W. B. Bell and Mr. Frederick C. Lin- 

 coln, of the Bureau of Biological Survey, United States Department 

 of Agriculture, we are indebted for reports of two birds banded in 

 a nesting colony at Barnstable, Massachusetts, that were taken sub- 

 sequently in Hispaniola. One of these, marked June 15, 1924 by 

 Mr. Leavitt C. Parsons, was taken about November 5, 1927, between 

 Constanza and San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. The 

 other, banded June 17, 1925 by Mr. E. H. Forbush was killed at 

 Anse-a-Veau, Haiti, by Numa Cassy, and was reported under date of 

 May 21, 1928 by the editor of Le Temps, of Port-au-Prince. 



The night heron as its name indicates is abroad mainly after night- 

 fall though at times it is more or less active by day. In daylight 

 hours, however, it is usually found resting in the seclusion of dense 



