THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 209 



dawn, and the waits in the wet jungle growth. Another was heard 

 calling this day and it was found that they were well known to the 

 natives though reputed difficult to secure. The species was reported 

 at El Rio May 30. 



The individual taken May 27, which after some deliberation was 

 preserved in alcohol for subsequent dissection, had the tip of the bill 

 pale brown ; top of cere dusky ; sides of cere and base of bill dull red ; 

 iris orange red; tarsus and toes light pinkish brown; claws dusky. 

 Abbott noted the iris in a female from Hondo as blood red. E. L. 

 Ekman under date of September 21, 1929 writes that he had col- 

 lected this species recently on the summit of Loma Jayaco in the 

 Cordillera de Neiba. He observed it in the Cordillera Central from 

 1000 to 1500 meters altitude. At La Vega Wetmore heard further 

 talk of this quail-dove under the name paloma del suelo, a bird that 

 local hunters supposed was a hybrid between the ordinary quail- 

 dove or perdiz and a pigeon or paloma. Apparently the species now 

 has a considerable distribution in the high mountains but will soon 

 be restricted in range as the rain-forests that provide its home are 

 cleared to provide lands for cultivation. 



In Haiti this quail-dove is as yet not certainly reported though 

 from Abbott's record in the Sierra de Bahoruco it may range in those 

 mountains across the frontier. Bond writes that "the natives on the 

 top of Morne La Selle told me that they occasionally encountered a 

 gray quail-dove. It was said to be rare and to occur in the scrub on 

 the ridge of the mountain." 



Oreopeleia leucometopius is unquestionably of the same stock as 

 O. caniceps of Cuba, differing in white instead of gray forehead, 

 darker gray on head, more bluish back, greater extent of metallic 

 purple on sides of breast, deeper russet of ventral region, restricted 

 rufous on outer webs of primaries, and slightly shorter wing tip so 

 that the emarginations of the outer primaries are slightly nearer the 

 tip of the wing. Though the two birds are patently similar we agree 

 with Doctor Chapman that the form of Hispaniola is specifically 

 distinct. It will be recalled that Wetmore has described a quail- 

 dove of this same type, in structural form at least, as Oreopeleia 

 larva from bones found in cavern deposits of Porto Rico. 



This quail-dove has the forehead pure white, head slate gray, back 

 and sides of breast rich purple, becoming indigo on the rump, center 

 of upper breast greenish, lower breast dull gray and abdomen and 

 under tail coverts rufous. The female is somewhat duller than the 

 male. In body the bird is as large as a Zenaida dove. The species 

 is to be mistaken for no other found in Hispaniola. 



