46 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 72 



Numerous caves provide an interesting feature on the south coast 

 of Samana Bay, one of them comprising nearly the whole interior of 

 San Gabriel Isle. A cave at the mouth of Naranjita River contained 

 a quantity of Indian bones and pottery. 



A collection of about 4,000 plants was procured, representing 1,460 

 numbers. Of these about 20 per cent are ferns, one being an interest- 

 ing new species of Anemia. 



The birds obtained by Doctor Abbott on this visit totaled thirty-one 

 skins, with a few skeletons and eggs, chiefly representing species not 

 previously collected by him. Of particular interest is a whip-poor-will 



Fig. 48. — Harbor of Puerto Plata, looking north from Monte Isabel de Torres. 



{AntrostoiHiis) , closely related to a species found in Cuba, but not 

 hitherto recorded from Santo Domingo. On the natural grassy plains 

 on the north side of the island he secured several specimens each of 

 the local form of the grasshopper sparrow (Auiniodrainus savannarum 

 intricatus), and of the stone-plover or thick-knee {Ocdlcncmus 

 dominiccnsis) , both new to the museum, collections. The thick-knee 

 belongs to a family of birds resembling overgrown plovers, and is 

 related to them. It occurs in the West Indies only in Santo Domingo, 

 but allied forms are fotmd in suitable localities in Central and South 

 America. The family is chiefly an Old World one, and for the most 

 part tropical in distribution. The Santo Domingo species is well- 

 known to the natives, under the name " boukera," and tame individuals 



