THE BIEDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN EEPUBLIC 285 



to the majority of those who travel in the country. The birds watch 

 for their insect food from open perches, usually near the ground 

 but occasionally well up among the branches of trees. They prefer 

 shade and in the desert sections of their range usually perch in what- 

 ever shadow may be available. Attention is often attracted by their 

 whistled call of terp terp terp, uttered in a complaining tone, varied 

 by a metallic rattle heard during the nesting season. The notes are 

 entirely different from those of the species found on Porto Rico. 

 They perch with tail pointed down and the large bill directed up at 

 an angle of forty-five degrees, their light eyes conspicuous at a near 

 distance, turning the head to watch for their prey, and flying out 

 with a whir of wings to seize passing insects with a snap of the bill. 



In April in Haiti Wetmore found them usually in pairs, preparing 

 for the nesting season. Near Foncls-des-Negres on April 2 a pair 

 had started a tunnel in a low cut-bank a few feet above the water 

 of the Riviere Seche. On April 3 near Aquin another pair was 

 excavating a hole for a nest in a roadside bank with its suiface 

 baked hard by the intense heat of the sun, the tunnel at this time 

 being only three or four inches deep. He was astonished at the 

 sites chosen by some near Fonds-des-Negres and evidently suitable 

 cut-banks are less common than the birds. Several nest tunnels were 

 located in the face of fairly steep slopes at the borders of paths 

 while one was in a little bank that was only eighteen inches above 

 the surrounding level, with a slope of only 45°. The hole in this 

 case was about six inches above the trodden trail. The deepest 

 openings seen were from one to two feet in length, with the excava- 

 tion still continuing. No finished nests were observed but the tun- 

 nels were said to be from one to more than two feet in length, with 

 an enlarged chamber at the end in which the eggs were deposited 

 on loose earth. Both sexes at times produced a whirring rattle with 

 the wings, a sound like that made by drawing a stick rapidly along 

 a paling fence, flying quickly up as they made it and then dropping 

 down. This was often produced as they left the nesting hole. 



Near Laguna, on the Samana Peninsula, early in March, 1919, 

 Abbott found many nest holes under construction but none yet com- 

 pleted. On his return the first of June children had gathered a 

 number of eggs for him in May during his absence and he preserved 

 29. He was told that four constituted the usual set. The eggs be- 

 fore us are white with a distinct gloss, frequently obscured by stain 

 from the reddish earth on which they were laid, and rounded ovate 

 in form. Following are measurements in millimeters of the Abbott 

 specimens: 16.4 by 13.8, 16.6 by 14.1, 16.7 by 14.2, 17.2 by 14.4, 

 17.2 by 14.5, 17.3 by 14.7, 17.3 by 15.0, 17.4 by 14.5, 17.4 by 14.5, 

 2134—31 19 



