130 BULLETIN 15 5, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Superfamily RALLIDES 

 Family RALLIDAE 

 Subfamily Rallinae 



RALLUS LONGIROSTRIS VAFER Wetmore 

 HISPAN10IAN CLAPPER RAIL, RALE D'EATT, RATEAU 



Rallus longirostris vafer Wetmore, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 41, June 

 29, 1928, p. 121 (Etroites, Gonave Island, Haiti).— Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 

 Philadelphia, 192S, p. 495 (Port-au-Prince, Caracol, Jaquesy, Fort Liberty). — 

 Danforth, Auk, 1929, p. 362 (Monte Cristi, Les Salines, Gonave). 



Rallus longirostris, Bartsch, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 30, July 27, 

 1917, p. 132 (Haiti).— Beebe, Zool. Soc. Bull., vol. 30, 1927, p. 139 (Bizoton) ; 

 Beneath Tropic Seas, 1928, p. 129. 



Rallus longvrostris carioaeus, Peters, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 61, 1917, 

 p. 402 (Monte Cristi). 



Resident in mangrove swamps ; local in occurrence. 



The first specimen of the clapper rail known to us for Hispaniola 

 is a male taken by J. L. Peters in an extensive mangrove swamp near 

 Monte Cristi on February 18, 1916. Danforth collected one at the 

 same point June 24, 1927. These are the only two definite records 

 for the Dominican Republic. 



Bartsch reported the clapper rail from the coastal swamps north 

 of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 25, 1917, and Abbott collected 

 specimens on Gonave Island in 1920, securing four at Etroites March 

 18, 19 and 20, and two at Picmy July 7 and 8. Beebe reports one 

 seen twice in 1927 on a sandy beach at Bizoton. 



On April 3, 1927, Wetmore heard the cackling, grunting calls of 

 these rails in the mangroves bordering the bay at Aquin, Haiti, and 

 flushed one at the border of an open lagoon. This individual flew 

 swiftly to shelter on the opposite side of a stretch of open water. 

 At Caracol on April 27 the grunting calls of clapper rails came from 

 the mangroves on all sides, becoming loud and vociferous at every 

 shot fired by the collector. At this point the high ground marking 

 the landing for the village was limited in area and was closely in- 

 vested with mangrove swamps. There was constant activity here 

 among fishermen and in the landing of small cargoes from schooners 

 plying along the coast. As the men engaged in this work were pre- 

 occupied with their own affairs, and there was no hunting, rails had 

 become unusually tame, and came without fear into little open places 

 among the mangroves. They walked slowly and with a furtive air, 

 twitching the white marked tail at intervals, or when they felt that 

 they were under observation paused motionless. When really 

 alarmed they ran swiftly to safe shelter amid the black shadows of 



