THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 311 



under the scientific name of Muscicapa querula may have been this 

 same species but this is not certain. Cory does not seem to have 

 found the wood pewee in the western republic so that the next in- 

 formation regarding it in Haiti comes from the collections of Abbott 

 who secured five at Moron December 18, 19, 20, and 24, 1917, one 

 at Moline January 26, 1918, and three at Moustique March 2, 3, and 



11, 1917. Bartsch in 1917 observed it in the vicinity of Jeremie 

 April 10 to 12, and 15 and 16, near Trou des Roseaux April 13 and 14, 

 and in the vicinity of Port-au-Prince, mainly near the coast, April 

 24, 25, and 27. G. S. Miller, jr., secured it near St. Michel, March 29, 

 1925. In 1927 Wetmore found it fairly common near Fonds-des- 

 Negres from March 31 to April 5, and from specimens taken learned 

 that the breeding season was near. At this time the birds were en- 

 tirely silent so far as he observed. On La Selle they were seen April 



12, 13, and 14, being especially common at the borders of the thickets 

 where these joined the pinelands. They especially were in evidence 

 in early morning when they came out of the coverts to rest in the 

 warm rays of the morning sun. On April 27 he observed a pair at 

 Poste Charbert near Caracol. Bond found it most common in the 

 mountains but saw it also at the borders of mangrove swamps. 



In a specimen taken by Abbott, marked questionably as a female, 

 from Moron, Haiti, December 20, 1917, the upper mandible is indi- 

 cated as dark brown or black and the lower as brownish yellow. 



The Hispaniolan wood pewee is subject to some variation in color, 

 birds in fresh fall plumage being decidedly darker than spring speci- 

 mens especially on the back. Cory was misled by these differences 

 and named two of these variants, calling one Contopus frazari and 

 the other Sayor-nis dominice?i$is, the type of the first according to 

 Hellmayr coming from Puerto Plata, and of the second from Magua. 

 Later Cory, recognizing his error, indicated these properly as syno- 

 nyms of Blacicus hispaniolensis. 



The wood pewee is a bird of slender form, long tail and broad, 

 flat bill that measures from 150 to 160 mm. in length. Above it is 

 olive brown, blacker on crown, wings and tail, with paler edgings on 

 the inner wing feathers. The breast is brownish gray and the abdo- 

 men brownish buff. The general tone of olive and warm brown, the 

 small size, and quiet demeanor are characteristic. 



BLACICUS HISPANIOLENSIS TACITUS Wetmore 

 GONAVE WOOD PEWEE 



Blacicus hispanwlensis tacitus Wetmoee, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 

 41. December IS, 1928, p. 201 (Anse a Galets, Gonave Island, Haiti).— Lonn- 

 berg, Fauna och Flora, 1929, p. 106 (Gonave). 



Blacicus hispaniolensis, Danfoeth, Auk, 1929, p. 370 (Gonave Island). 



Blacicus caribaeus hispaniolensis, Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 

 vol. 80, 1928, p. 506 (part; Gonave). 



