THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 163 



lagoons. It has the same habits as the lesser species but to a 

 discriminating ear its calls are slightly different. It resembles the 

 lesser yellowlegs in coloration but is told by larger size, the wing 

 measuring from 180 to 199 mm. 



Subfamily Calidrinae 



PISOBIA MINUTILLA (Vieillot) 

 LEAST SANDPIPER, ZARAPICO MENTJDO 



Tringa minutilla Vieiixot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 34, 1819, p. 466 (Nova 

 Scotia to Antilles). 



Ereunetes minutilla, Tippenhatjer, Die Insel Haiti, 1892, p. 322 (listed). 



Pisobia minutilla, Baetsch, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 30, July 27, 

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

 Tropic Seas, 1928, p. 129 (Source Matelas).— Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila- 

 delphia, vol. 80, 1928, p. 496 (Lake Enriquillo, Gonave Island). — Danforth, 

 Auk, 1927, p. 364 (Etang Bois-Neuf, Artibonite River, Les Salines, Monte 

 Cristi).— Moltoni, Att. Soc. Ital. Scienz. Nat, vol. 68, 1929, p. 313 (San Juan, 

 specimen). 



Migrant and winter visitant along coast; abundance uncertain. 



At Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic this little sandpiper 

 was found in large flocks from October 1 to 6, 1919, by Abbott, and 

 was reported in 1928 by Bond. Wetmore shot one near Sanchez 

 May 6, 1927, and saw four others near the mouth of the Rio Yuna 

 May 10. Hartert writes us that there are six in the Tring Museum 

 taken at Sanchez December 24, 1906 by A. H. Verrill, and six more 

 collected by Kaempfer at the mouth of the Yuna September 27 to 

 October 3, 1922. Danforth found the least sandpiper at Monte 

 Cristi August 4 and 5, 1927. Ciferri collected it at San Juan Sep- 

 tember 1, 1928. 



In Haiti a number of specimens of this species were taken by 

 Bartsch on the salt flats north of Port-au-Prince April 25, 1917. 

 W. L. Abbott took one on Grande Cayemite Island January 14, 1918, 

 indicating that the species is present through the winter, and re- 

 ported the birds as common. Beebe secured specimens at Source 

 Matelas in early 1927, and Wetmore found two near Aquin April 3, 

 1927. Danforth in 1927 saw many at the fitang Bois-Neuf July 25, 

 collecting one, and reports them also from the sloughs at the mouth 

 of the Artibonite July 29, and at Les Salines July 30. Bond says 

 that he found them particularly numerous on Gonave Island. 



This species usually frequents open stretches of mud, and in His- 

 paniola is most common near the coasts, as elsewhere there is only 

 limited area available to it. It is small and quiet and so may fre- 

 quently escape attention. At times it occurs in flocks. 



The least sandpiper is among the smallest of its group having 

 the wing only from 82 to 91 mm. long. It is mottled black and 



