222 BULLETIN 15 5, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



the Massif de la Selle, and from Port-de-Paix, Cap-Haitien, Gonave 

 and Tortue Islands. There are three specimens in his collection in 

 the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, one from Miragoane 

 February 20, and two from Tortue Island March 17 and 18, 1928. 

 One was taken at Anse a. Galets, Gonave Island, July 19, 1927, by 

 John T. Emlen, jr. Poole and Perrygo in 1929 found this cuckoo 

 at L'Atalaye January 5, Fort Liberte February 6, 7, 10, 12, and 19, 

 and St. Marc February 25. 



The present species is from 300 to 325 mm. in length with slender 

 form and long, narrow tail. Above it is grayish brown with a 

 blackish line through the eye, and below it is deep buff, grayish 

 on the breast, the buff color becoming deeper on the under tail 

 coverts. The under side of the tail is black with the feathers tipped 

 broadly with white. The bill is black except for the base of the 

 lower mandible, which is yellow as in the yellow-billed cuckoo. 



HYETORNIS RUFIGULARIS (Hartlaub) 

 HISPANIOLAN HYETORNIS, BOBQ, MANTERQ, TACOT, TACOT CABRI 



Coccyzus rufigularis " Herz. v. Wiirttemb." Hartlaub, Naumannia, 1852, 

 p. 55 (Mountain forests of Dominican Republic). 



Piaya Pauli guilelmi Hartlaub, Naumannia, 1852, p. 55 (substitute name for 

 Coccyzus rufigularis) . 



Hyetomis fleldi Cory, Auk, 1895, p. 278 (Described as new; type locality 

 "Maniel"=San Jose de Ocoa, Dominican Republic). — Cherrie, Field Colum- 

 bian Mus., Ornith. ser., vol. 1, 1896, pp. 19-20 (Honduras, San Jose de Ocoa, 

 specimens). — Verrill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1909, p. 359 (between 

 Miranda and La Vega). 



Hyetomis rufigularis, Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 80, 1928, 

 p. 500 (Gonave Island).— Da nforth, Auk, 1929, p. 368 (Gonave Island).— 

 Lonnbeeg, Fauna och Flora, 1929, p. 101 (Haiti). 



Resident; local in distribution. 



In view of the large size of this cuckoo, larger even than the lizard- 

 cuckoo, the little known regarding it at present is surprising. It 

 was first recorded by Wiirttemberg who secured it in 1829 " in den 

 gebirgigen Urwaldern des Spanischen S. Domingo." His descrip- 

 tion of it however was overlooked so that when Cherrie in 1895 se- 

 cured three at Honduras and two at San Jose de Ocoa Cory described 

 them as new under the name Hyetomis fleldi. Cherrie reports that 

 he learned comparatively little of the habits of this bird since it 

 progressed so rapidly through the forest, running quickly along the 

 limbs of the trees and flying across to new points of vantage, that it 

 was necessary to move rapidly to keep it in sight. He likened the 

 note to the hoarse croaking of a frog. Like other cuckoos of the 

 Dominican Republic he said that the flesh of this bird was esteemed 

 as a delicacy for the sick. Verrill met with the species only once 

 between Miranda and La Vega. Beck collected an extensive series 



