THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 379 



Dendroica coerulescens, Verriix, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 61, 

 1909, p. 365 (migrant). 



Dendroica caerulescens, Cory, Cat. West Indian Birds, 1892, p. 118 (Haiti, 

 Dominican Republic). — Cheerie, Field Col. Mus., Ornith. ser., vol. 1, 1896, p. 11 

 (specimens). 



Dendroica c. caerulescens, Beebe, Zool. Soc. Bull., vol. 30, 1927, p. 141 ; 

 Beneath Tropic Seas, 1928, p. 223 (Haiti, specimen). 



Dendroica caerulescens caerulescens, Peters, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 61, 

 1917, p. 421 (Choco, Los Toritos, specimens). — Penard, Auk, 1926, p. 377 (one 

 at sea).— Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 80, 1928, p. 512 

 (migrant).— Moltoni, Att. Soc. Scienz. Nat., vol. 68, 1929, pp. 322-323 (San 

 Juan, specimens). 



Winter migrant from North America ; common. 



The black-throated blue warbler is a common winter visitant in 

 Hispaniola arriving after the middle of September and in October, 

 and leaving northward by the end of April or the middle of May. 

 The species inhabits woodlands from sea-level to the tops of the 

 highest mountains. 



The first note of this bird for the region is that of Edwards who 

 describes and figures a male that he writes was " taken at sea, in 

 November 1751, by the late Thomas Stack, M. D. and F. K. S. in 

 his Voyage to Jamaica, as the ship lay becalmed, about eight or ten 

 leagues distant from Hispaniola." Buffon described a male as the 

 Fauvette bleuatre de Saint-Domingue, the basis for Gmelin's 

 Motacilla caerulescens, and also included in another place reference 

 to Edwards' bird, terming it the figuier bleu. Vieillot found this 

 species common on the island. 



The first definite record for the Dominican Republic is that of 

 Salle who says that he found the black-throated blue warbler among 

 the pine-covered hills of the interior. Tristram in 1884 received 

 one from C. McGrigor, and Cherrie collected 49 specimens, stating 

 that he found it the most common of North American migrants. 

 Verrill obtained a series, now in the collection of J. H. Fleming, as 

 follows: fifteen at Sanchez December 24, 1906, January 22 to 24, 

 February 27, and March 7, 1907, and eight at El Valle, January 9 

 to 18, 1907. Peters collected birds at Choco and Los Toritos report- 

 ing that on the north coast they were apparently mainly migrant as 

 he saw the first March 11, while by March 25 they had reached their 

 greatest abundance. None were observed after April 1. W. L. 

 Abbott writes that in the Dominican Republic these warblers became 

 abundant by the middle of September, 1916. He collected one near 

 El Rio, October 5, 1916, and one near Paradis, January 31, 1922. 

 Specimens in the American Museum of Natural History were taken 

 by Beck at Sanchez October 30 and 31, and November 3, 11 and 14, 

 at La Vega December 4, 1916, and on Loma Rucilla March 16, 1917. 

 All of these have been identified by Wetmore as true caerulescens. 



