THE BIRDS OF HAITI AND THE DOMINICAN" REPUBLIC 435 



Pyirhulagra vlolacea afflnis, Peters, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 61, 1917, p. 

 425 (Monte Cristi, Sosua, Arroyo Salado, specimens). — Beebe, Zool. Soc. Bull., 

 vol. 30, 1927, p. 141; Beneath Tropic Seas, 1928, p. 222 (Bizoton). — Danforth, 

 Auk, 1929, p. 375 (fairly common). — Lonnbekg, Fauna och Flora, 1929, pp. 

 109-110 (Haiti). 



Loxigilla violacea, Salle, Proc. Zool. Soc. Loudon, 1857, p. 231 (Dominican 

 Republic).— Cory, Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, 1881, p. 152 (Haiti) ; Birds Haiti 

 and San Domingo, July, 1SS4, pp. 69-70, col. pi. (Rivas, Samanfi, specimens). — 

 Tristram, H. B., Ibis, 1884, p. 168 (Dominican Republic, specimen) ; Cat. Coll. 

 Birds, Belonging H. B. Tristram, 1889, p. 231 (Saniana, specimen). — Tippen- 

 hauer, Die Insel Haiti, 1892, pp. 320, 321 (listed).— Christy, Ibis, 1897, p. 325 

 (Sanchez, specimen). — Verrill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 61, 

 1909, p. 362 (Dominican Republic). 



Loxigilla violacea afflnis, Bond, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1928, p. 

 519 (Haiti, Gonave). 



Resident ; common and widely distributed except in the more arid 

 sections. 



The soberly plumaged bullfinch lives in thickets or heavy rain- 

 forests where it has shelter and can avoid being seen when it so 

 desires. It is regularly found in pairs or in little groups of half a 

 dozen — that may be family parties — feeding in the tops of low trees 

 or bushes, or, in the mountains, coming out in early morning into 

 the sunshine at the borders of the rain forest to dodge quickly back 

 at any alarm into heavy cover. When the observer is resting quietly 

 in heavy growth the birds often work about through the branches 

 near at hand, flying from perch to perch with a loud rattle of the 

 wings. They have considerable curiosity and are attracted by squeak- 

 ing but keep in the background behind some cover. The song uttered 

 from dense cover of leaves in the top of a low tree, is odd and 

 curiously accented. 



This form is one that is widely distributed through the small off- 

 lying islands. It is common on Gonave, and Abbott has recorded it 

 from Catalina Island, and from Saona Island. The latter appeared 

 to him somewhat different from those seen on the mainland, but 

 as he did not obtain specimens this can not now be demonstrated. 

 Though considered ordinarily a shy denizen of thickets not given to 

 prolonged flights across open spaces the bullfinch may however 

 traverse considerable distances as indicated by the statement of 

 Beebe 01 that "two individuals of this unmistakable species, in full 

 color, apparently males, came to the schooner and perched quietly 

 on the ratlines until a gun was loaded, when then they flew straight 

 out across the Gulf and were not seen again." As the schooner was 

 anchored off the Bizoton wharf the birds must have had the distant 

 shores of Gonave Island or of the opposite side of the broad bay as 

 an objective. 



"Zool. Soc. Bull., vol. 30, 1927, p. 141. 



