124 G - M - Allen > Summer Birds in the Bahamas. [^ 



from the smaller uninhabited islands and cays. Curiously enough, also, 

 they are unknown on New Providence, notwithstanding that it is more 

 thickly settled than the other islands. Dr. Henry Bryant, in 1859, attrib- 

 uted this absence from the vicinity of Nassau to an inability to procure 

 food, as "all the animals slaughtered there are literally devoured by the 

 blacks." To the present writer, however, the voracity of the blacks seems 

 hardly a sufficient explanation of this curious distribution. Northrop ' 

 found them "very common on Andros," but his statement that "more 

 were seen on New Providence" is evidently a misprint for "none 

 were seen on New Providence." 



33. PFalco sp.— At Great Abaco, on July 21, a small falcon, hovering 

 after the manner of a Sparrow Hawk was seen for several moments, but 

 so far away as to make identification impossible. At Nassau, we also 

 saw what was undoubtedly a Sparrow Hawk, on June 29. It flew past 

 at close range, so that its colors were fairly distinguishable. 



We saw nothing of the Bahama Osprey nor of the resident Red-tailed 

 Hawk during our entire trip. 



34. Strix pratincola Bonap. American Barn Owl. — At Hurricane 

 Hole, Great Abaco, a single bird was started from a large open cave by 

 the shore. 



35. Amazona bahamensis (Bryant). Bahama Parrot. — We were 

 interested to learn through the captain of our schooner, that a few par- 

 rots still exist on Great Abaco. He told us of having seen a flock near 

 Marsh Harbor the year before (1903) and in previous years had some- 

 times observed a flock in late summer at that part of the island. We 

 learned that at Acklin's Island, about 140 miles south of Nassau, parrots 

 still nest in numbers and the young birds are regularly taken from the 

 nest when fledged, and brought to Nassau to be sold as pets. Mr. Robert 

 Johnstone, the Colonial Magistrate at Nassau, showed us a handsome 

 bird which he had obtained in this way. It was very tame and docile, 

 and frequently was allowed the liberty of the yard. 



36. Crotophaga ani Linn. Ani ; "Jackdaw "; "Long-tailed Crow." 

 — On the larger islands Anis are not uncommon, and are usually found 

 in the vicinity of cultivated lands and gardens. Yet they keep well out 

 of sight and we saw but few at Nassau and vicinity. A small flock was 

 seen at Elbow Cay, July 4, near a cocoanut grove, and at Little Abaco we 

 were shown a nest with five eggs taken there shortly before our visit. 



Of other members of the Cuculidse we saw nothing though once or 

 twice some cuckoo-like notes were heard but could not be identified. 



37. Dryobates villosus piger, 2 subsp. nov. 

 Type. — Male, adult, No. 40207, collection of the Museum of Compara- 



1 Northrop : Auk, Vol. VIII, 1891, p. 76. 

 2 piger, indolent, slow. 



