THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 99 



1918, and secured one at Les Basses on January 9, 1918. He says 

 that it is in his experience the most common duck in Haiti, and easy 

 to shoot as when one fires into a flock the survivors usually fly to 

 a distance and then return giving opportunity for one or two more 

 shots before they finally leave. Bond found them at the Etang 

 Miragoane and heard of them at Fort Liberte. Beebe noted three at 

 Source Matelas. Danforth in 1927 found them very common at 

 Les Salines and near Gona'ives, and observed a few near Grand 

 Goave, at the Etang Miragoane, and in the Artibonite Sloughs beyond 

 St. Marc. 



Descourtilz reports the tree-duck as common, and says that he saw 

 it on the Riviere Estere. Buffon quotes extensively from notes fur- 

 nished by Deshayes, and though he gives these under t^e wigeon refers 

 certainly to this tree-duck since Deshayes describes them as perching 

 in trees, as having long legs, and as holding the tail down like a guinea 

 when walking. Deshayes relates that the birds are found in flocks and 

 feed extensively on rice. They laid in January, having young about 

 in March. Often the eggs were taken and placed under hens for 

 hatching so that tree-ducks were frequent in captivity. 



The species is found to-day in lagoons and swamps in the lowlands. 

 It feeds frequently at night and is seldom seen except when one 

 chances to encounter a flock hidden in the reaches of swamps. 



In general coloration this tree-duck is dull brown above, with 

 paler margins on most of the feathers that give the plumage a squa- 

 mated appearance. The throat is white, the foreneck whitish 

 streaked finely with dusky, and the upper breast dull brown. The 

 lower breast, sides and under tail coverts are buffy white spotted 

 with blackish, and the abdomen is buffy white. The species is distin- 

 guished from all other ducks of this region by the relatively long legs 

 which are covered with finely reticulated scales that form a honey- 

 comblike pattern quite different from the broad transverse plates 

 that cover the front of the lower leg in ordinary ducks. 



Subfamily Anatinae 



[MARECA AMERICANA (Gmelin) 

 EAIDPATE, AMERICAN WIGEON 



Anas americana Gmeun, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 526 (Louisiana and 

 New York). 



Anas penelope, DEScotrctTrLz, Voy. Nat., vol. 2, 1809, p. 42 (Artibonite). 



Anas americana, Ritteb, Naturh. Reis. Westind. Insel Hayti, 1836, p. 157 

 (listed). 



Mareca americana, Tippenhauer. Die Insel Haiti, 1892, pp. 318, 323 (listed). 



