^^6 Bowjyisu, Birds of Porto Rico. ^^^ 



conspicuous that it is hunted much, but the embryo hunters have 

 found, much to their chagrin, that it is next door to impossible to 

 stalk the wary bird. Despite this, the Curlew decoys readily and 

 is often ' whistled down ' by an imitation of his call. Wound one 

 and his yelping will attract every other Sickle-bill within hearing 

 distance, and they will circle and return time and again until the 

 last one is killed. 



The nest is a mere depression in the ground, sometimes with a 

 small lining of dead grass, in which are placed three or four ashy 

 clay-colored eggs, covered with a few brown or chocolate spots 

 and blotches. In the Northwest the nest may often be found 

 under or at the foot of a sage bush but more often it is right out 

 on the open prairie where both birds, male and female, help in the 

 task of incubation and upbringing. 



BIRDS OF PORTO RICO. 



BY B. S. BOWDISH. 



When, in 1898, I began to study the birds of Porto Rico, I was 

 somewhat surprised to find how meagre was the literature on the 

 subject. Later, as my work slowly progressed, I felt a growing 

 desire to add at least a little to the general fund of knowledge 

 respecting Porto Rican ornithology, and to this end I have decided 

 to submit the following notes, based on my own observations, 

 extending from February 22, 1899, to February 16, igoo, and 

 from May 5, 1900, to October 24, 1901. During most of this 

 time — from February 22, 1899, to July i, 1901 — I was in the 

 army and my opportunities for ornithological work were limited by 

 military duties. Later, while I was collecting specimens for the 

 National Museum, my opportunities for observation were some- 

 what better, but even during this period of my stay in Porto Rico, 

 •observation was necessarily somewhat of a secondary matter. 



