THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 225 



dant). — Chbisty, Ibis, 1897, p. 331 (Dominican, Republic). — Forbes and Rob- 

 inson, Bull. Liverpool Mus., vol, 1, August, 1897, p. 42 (Las Canitas, specimens) .— 

 Verrill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1909, p. 359 (Dominican Repub- 

 lic). — Peters, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 61, 1917, p. 409 (Monte Cristi, Bulla, 

 Sosua, Choco, specimens). — Bartsch, Smithsonian Misc. Colls., vol. 68, no. 12, 

 1918, fig. 56 (photo). — Kaempfer, Journ. fur Ornith., 1924, p. 181 (nest, habits). — 

 Beebe, Zool. Soc. Bull., vol. 30, 1927, pp. 140, 141 ; Beneath Tropic Seas, 1928, 

 pp. 51, 52, 221 (food). 



Saurotliera longirostris, Stresemann, Nov. Zool., vol. 27, 1920, p. 330 (change 

 of name). — Lonnberg, Fauna och Flora. 1929, p. 101 (Haiti, Tortue). 



Saurothera longirostris longirostris, Richmond and Swales, Proc. Biol. Soc. 

 Washington, vol. 37, March 17, 1924, pp. 105, 106 (mentioned).— Bond, Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci., vol. 80, 1928, p. 500 (Haiti, Tortue).— Danforth, Auk, 1929, 

 p. 367 (common). — Moltoni, Att. Soc. Ital. Scienz. Nat., vol. 68, p. 316 (Haina, 

 San Juan, Bonao, specimens). 



Resident, common. 



The lizard-cuckoo is one of the common birds of the island, dis- 

 tributed everywhere that there is shrubbery or forest to afford it 

 cover. (PI. 17.) It occurs close about the towns, coming into the 

 outskirts of Port-au-Prince, and is seen at times in gardens. In the 

 country districts the birds appear everywhere, in Haiti even in scant 

 stands of bushes on barren mountain slopes. They move in a 

 leisurely manner, walking with long strides along the tree-limbs, 

 often crouching and proceeding stealthily in search of their insect 

 or lizard prey, or creeping and crawling like great rats along dense 

 branches near the ground. Frequently they rest quietly at one point 

 for several minutes. In early morning particularly they delight in 

 sitting in the rays of the sun with Heathers fluffed out loosely to 

 absorb the warmth. Their call, a rattling, grating note, repeated 

 several times, is given frequently. In addition they have low calls 

 that may be rendered as tchk, a clicking sound, and tick cwuh-h-h 

 in a lower tone. Though preferring to progress among limbs, whei. 

 flight is necessary it is performed with rapid beats of the relatively 

 small, rounded wings, and ends in a sail with spread pinions that 

 carries the bird to the desired perch. The whole reminds one of 

 descriptions of the supposed method of flight of the archeopteryx, 

 the most ancient of known fossil birds. 



Lizard-cuckoos are inquisitive and fearless and may be decoyed 

 easily to approach within a few feet. Their food is made up largely 

 of orthoptera and lizards, and it is common to see one with the limp 

 body of a lizard dangling from its bill. Abbott reports a mantis 

 in the stomach of one and orthoptera in three that he examined. In 

 the Dominican Republic the flesh of the pajaro bobo is given to 

 invalids to produce appetite, and is highly prized among the country 

 people as a cure for indigestion. 



The species has seemingly always been abundant. Cherrie reports 

 that he collected 80 specimens, representing all of the localities where 



