THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 141 



Wetmore collected three Caribbean coots at the Etang Miragoane 

 on April 1, 1927, preserving two, a male and a female, as skeletons, 

 and a female as a skin. As he approached the open water of this 

 lake along a little trail hidden among rushes he saw numbers of coots 

 swimming with nodding heads on the open wafer. One that was 

 within range was killed at once, and the black boy who accompanied 

 him to retrieve birds floundered in soft muck to his waist in securing 

 it. Other coots of this species swam in little groups spreading rip- 

 ples over the calm, mirrorlike surface of the lake, while in the blue 

 sky high above a flock of frigate-birds turned in slow spirals, at an 

 altitude so great that they appeared no larger than swallows. Along 

 a swampy channel coots were gathered in bands, walking about across 

 the open mud like dumpy, large-footed chickens. These gatherings 

 often contained all three of the species found in the island that 

 sportsmen usually group under the name of " mudhen " as on one 

 occasion on a right and left with his doubled barreled gun into a 

 flying flock Wetmore secured two Caribbean coots, an American coot, 

 and an Antillean gallinule. Danforth in 1927 found them at the 

 Etang Miragoane, on sloughs near the lower Artibonite Kiver where 

 he collected one July 28, and near Gonaives. 



The frontal shield in this species is plain white with a faint tinge 

 of ivory throughout. (PI. 16.) The end of the bill is crossed by a 

 dark band. In the fresh specimen the frontal shield is perfectly 

 smooth, and is as hard and firm to the touch as the shield in ameri- 

 cana. This is curious since in museum specimens the shield in ameri- 

 cana dries smooth while in caribaea it becomes more or less wrinkled. 

 The light color of the frontal shield in caribaea is very distinct and 

 with fresh killed specimens in hand the differences in color described 

 showed clearly. 



The local name of " Geoudel " applied to these birds is of uncer- 

 tain meaning. 



The wing in Fulica caribaea is diastataxic as in F. amencana. 



The Caribbean coot, like the American species, is as large as a small 

 chicken, with strong, broadly lobed feet armed with sharp claws. The 

 head and neck are blackish slate, and the remainder of the plumage 

 dark slaty gray, with whitish tips on some of the secondaries, a 

 white line on the alula, edge of metacarpal, and part of outer margin 

 of first primary, and black under tail-coverts, bordered broadly on 

 either side with white. As noted above the frontal shield is pure 

 white. 



2134—31 10 



