116 BULLETIN 15 5, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



seen rather regularly in Cuba and the Bahamas, and has been re- 

 corded from Porto Rico. 3 ' 1 



The bird does not watch for prey from a commanding perch like 

 other hawks of the island but instead is found quartering steadily 

 back and forth over marshy savannas or open fields in search for 

 food. Attempt should be made to secure specimens. 



The marsh hawk is about as large as the red-tail, but has a longer 

 tail and more slender form. The female is dark brown, and the 

 male light gray, both sexes being marked by a large white patch on 

 the rump. 



Subfamily Pandioninae 



PANDION HALIAETUS CAROLINENSIS (Gmelin) 

 OSPREY, AGUILA MARINA 



Falco earoltnensis Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 1, 1788, p. 273 (Carolina). 



Pandion haliaetus, Cory, Birds of Haiti and San Domingo, Dec, 1884, pp. 

 125-126 (Port-au-Prince). — Tippenhauer, Die Insel Haiti, 1892, p. 322 

 (listed). — Verrile, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1909, p. 359 (recorded). 



Pandion haliaetus carolinensis, Cory, Cat. West Indian Birds, 1892, p. 99 

 (Haiti, Dominican Republic).— Peters, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zo61., vol. 61, 1917, p. 

 402 (Monte Cristi).— Beebe, Zool. Soc. Bull., vol. 30, 1927, p. 140; Beneath 

 Tropic Seas, 1928, p. 221 (Port-au-Prince). 



A winter visitant in small numbers along the coast. 



Peters has recorded an osprey seen near Monte Cristi on Feb- 

 ruary 17, 1916. Abbott saw this species at Lake Enriquillo October 

 1 to 6, 1919, and at the mouth of the Yuna during spring of the same 

 year. At Catalinita Island he recorded four from September 10 to 

 12, 1919. In view of these few records Verrill's statement that the 

 bird was " abundant around the mangrove swamps " must be taken 

 with some reservation. 



Cory recorded one at Port-au-Prince (probably in February, 1881) 

 but did not secure it. Beebe says that at the Bizoton wharves, on 

 March 3, 1927, one attempted to alight on one of the masts of his 

 schooner with a large fish in its talons. Poole and Perrygo observed 

 two about the island of Monte Grande in the Seven Brothers group 

 on January 30 and February 4, 1929. 



As the osprey feeds entirely upon fish it must be confined to the 

 coastal region and the lakes and larger streams of the lowlands in 

 Hispaniola. Its large size distinguishes it from all other hawks of 

 the region. 



The osprey is blackish brown above with the head white marked 

 with blackish brown on the crown and cheeks. Below it is white, 

 sometimes streaked with light brown. 



30 Wetmoie, New York Acad. Sci., Sci. Surv. Porto Rico and Virgin Islands, vol. 9, 

 1927, p. 323. 



