EXPLORATIONS IN HAITIAN CAVES 



By ARTHUR J. POOLE, 

 Aid, Division of Maininals, U. S. National Museum 



During the past few years several expeditions from the Smith- 

 sonian Institution have visited Haiti with the purpose of exploring 

 the numerous caves for the hones of extinct animals and birds, and 

 also to make general biological collections, principally birds and 

 reptiles. The present expedition is a continuation of biological ex- 

 plorations in Haiti made by Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., Curator, Divi- 

 sion of Mammals, U. S. National Museum, in 1925, Dr. Alexander 

 Wetmore, Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, in 1927, and 

 the writer during the winter of 1927- 1928. This expedition, as well 

 as the one during the winter of 1927-1928, was made possible through 

 the generosity of Dr. W. L. Abbott. 



Accompanied by Mr. Watson Perrygo, taxidermist's preparator, 

 U. S. National Museum, I left Washington December 8 for New 

 York City, and from there sailed on December 11 on the S. S. 

 Cristobal for Haiti. On December 20 we arrived at Port au Prince, 

 and left there a few days later for St. Michel, about 150 miles north- 

 ward by auto, where we were made welcome at the home of 

 Lt. Barwick, our headquarters in the St. Michel district. On the 27th 

 work was started in one of the caves of the Atalaye group, and 

 after a thorough examination of this cave, with no results, we dis- 

 covered two new ones that had not been worked before. Both of 

 these were somewhat similar to one just examined, in that we 

 had to use ropes to lower ourselves to the floor, a distance of about 

 20 feet. In the larger one there was an additional incline of about 20 

 feet which was covered with surface soil. At the base of this incline, 

 the cave opened into a long chamber, about 100 feet in length, with 

 several chamjjers of small size opening from the main one. The ceil- 

 ing was quite low, from 8 to 12 feet and, therefore, we saw but few 

 bats. We excavated in numerous sections of the floor, which consisted 

 principally of guano, but found few bones, chiefly skulls of living 

 forms of bats and a series of jaws of a small extinct insect-eating 

 animal (Ncsophontes) . 



In one section of the cave was a huge pile of guano, about 15 or 

 18 feet in height, and upon closer examination we found there was a 

 small crevice about a foot wide and three feet long at the top of the 



5 63 



