73 



THE OOLOGIST. 



the island and lays no claim to even an 

 approach to completeness. 



Pelecanvsfuscus. Always abundant 

 and often easily secured. A male shot 

 Dec. 23d contained in stomach and 

 throat 37 herrings averaging about four 

 inches each in length. I removed and 

 preserved from the inside of the body 

 close to the stomach three small para- 

 sitical worms. This pelican measured, 

 length 45i inches, extent 79 inches. 



Fregatta aquila. Often seen singly 

 or in twos and threes soaring over the 

 surf near the beach fishing, sometimes 

 in company with the pelicans. A male 

 secured Dec. 16th, disgorged a sharp- 

 nosed fish about 8 inches in length. 

 Stomach was empty. 



Florida coerulea. Common though 

 not as abundant as the next. 



Arclea virescens. Very abundant on 

 the lagoons at the mouths of creeks 

 these herons were nearly always found 

 from one to a dozen specimens, some- 

 times associated with coerulea. 



Aotitis macularia. Quite a common 

 bird along the beach and on the lagoons 

 Sometimes associated with the follow- 

 ing. 



Mgialitis wilsonia. Seen a few times 

 in liocks of a dozen on the beach. One 

 male secured Nov. 5th. None were 

 seen after Dec. 1st. 



Golumba — ? Common. Three speci- 

 mens secured. The only large pigeon 

 noted. 



Zenaidura maaoura. Very common. 

 Apparently not so common as the fore- 

 going. A number were seen in twos 

 and threes feeding on the ground much 

 after the fashion of Bob-whites. Dec. 

 30Lh I secured a male. 



Columbigalma passerina. Qaite abun- 

 dant. 



Buteo borealis. Several pair were 

 noted and they probably breed here. 

 Shot Jan. 26th. The stomach contained 

 the bones and fur of a rat probably of 

 one of the wood rats. 



Falco dominicensis^ Sparrow hawks 



are not apparently abundant. On Dec- 

 17th. I shot a male and Jan. 18th I shot 

 a female and while putting it up the 

 male come to the same tree from which 

 his mate had been secured and I got 

 him also. They seem much less sus- 

 picious than the bird of the State. The 

 male above referred to came within ten 

 feet of me when alighting in the tree 

 Prof. Richmond who is here with Prof 

 Stejneger collecting, would not pro 

 nounce positively on these birds wheth 

 er they were dominicensis or cxribaeum 

 The stomach contents in the first of the 

 three hawks above mentioned was far 

 digested and not identifiable. Of the 

 other male were grasshoppers and the 

 fur and bones of a mouse, while the 

 stomach of the female contained grass- 

 hoppers only. 



Pandion haliaius carolinensis. Two 

 pair were noted and the male of one 

 secured Dec. 31st. Stomach was empty. 



Crotophaga ani. Very abundant 

 and often seen in large fiocks, feeding 

 in the pastures and along the creeks. 

 They must breed very early for on Jan. 

 28th I shot from a small (probably fam- 

 ily flock,) five birds of which two were 

 young, male and female respectfully, 

 on the wing, but undeveloped in size 

 and plumage. Stomachs of a fair series 

 of these birds show insects, seeds and 

 fruits chiefly the latter two. In Vieques 

 I meet with no example of their nesting 

 but in the mountains back of Catania, 

 P. R , July 21, '99 I found a pair work- 

 ing on a nearly completed nest about 

 twenty feet from ground in a tree at 

 the edge of woods and by the foot of a 

 hill. The nest was appaiently almost 

 wholly constructed of twigs and was 

 roofed like the nest of a magpie. 



Coceyzus viinor dominicata. Several 

 were noted but none secured. On the 

 main Island I shot one. 



Ceryle alcyon. Shot male Dec. 10th. 

 Noted a number of pairs on the creeks. 



Melanerpes portorcensis . Fairly com- 

 mon. The only Porto Rican representa- 



