140 BULLETIN" 15 5, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The first certain record of this species for the Dominican Kepublic 

 is that of Peters who killed a male and a female at El Batey April 5. 

 He found several pairs in a lagoon formed by an old channel of the 

 Rio Yasica, and collected a set of seven eggs. Peters reports other 

 coots seen near Monte Cristi, but was not certain whether they were 

 the Caribbean or the American species. The eggs taken, preserved 

 in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, have the ground color slight- 

 ly brighter than pale olive-buff, spotted finely with plumbeous black 

 and blackish slate, part of the spots being minute dots, and a part 

 somewhat larger, all distributed uniformly and rather closely over 

 the surface. These eggs measure as follows : 50.2 by 33.9, 50.8 by 

 34.6, 51.0 by 34.4, 51.2 by 34.8, 51.2 by 34.9, 51.4 by 34.3, and 51.4 by 

 34.7 mm. Both Cherrie and Verrill under the name americana 

 mention coots as seen without definite locality, that may or may not 

 have been the present species. Abbott also reported coots of uncer- 

 tain identity as common at Laguna Cabral near Rincon in March, 

 1922. Danforth collected one at the Laguna del Salodillo, near 

 Copey, June 26, 1927, and saw others at Haina. Ciferri obtained one 

 at Laguna de Ranachero, near Guerra, August 12, 1929. 



Among specimens collected by Abbott in Haiti there are two 

 caribaea, a female from Port-de-Paix, taken April 14, 1917, and a 

 male from Trou Caiman shot April 7, 1920. Bartsch preserved the 

 head and feet from a specimen taken at Trou Caiman April 4. He 

 also recorded coots without certain identification from Trou des 

 Roseaux April 13, and on April 28 saw a bunch of live mudhens 

 brought for sale to his hotel in Port-au-Prince. Cory during the 

 late winter months in 1881 found coots, that must have included this 

 species, common about the lakes near Gantier. Bond collected one 

 at Trou Caiman January 15, 1928, and John T. Emlen, jr., secured a 

 male near the mouth of the Artibonite River July 28, 1927. 



The earliest record is that of Descourtilz who mentions a coot 

 seen at Pont de l'Estere, April 16, 1799, and later describes the 

 present species as he specifically states that the frontal shield was 

 pure white. He says that hunting them is best accomplished by four 

 men armed with shotguns, one to walk on either bank of the stream 

 or channel, and two to proceed over the water in a boat. These last 

 drive the birds from the shelter of the rushes, in which they hide 

 at the slightest noise, so that they may be killed. In the nesting 

 season it is common practise to set fire to the marshes at the time 

 when coots and other water birds have eggs. The negroes then 

 search in the ashes for partly roasted eggs or for birds that have not 

 had the fortune to escape the flames. The destructiveness of this 

 method is evident. 



