BIRDS OF PORTO RICO. 



69 



No trace of coffee, or, in fact, any vegetable matter, was found, thus con- 

 firming the results of the experiments detailed above. In the light of these 

 data the mucaro must be held guiltless of injury in the coffee fincas. That 

 these owls eat coffee berries appears like many other beliefs to be more tradi- 

 tion than anything else, and even some of the gibaros (hill people) admit that 

 the belief has no foundation in fact, as is witnessed by a stanza in one of their 

 songs. 1 



Though to a certain extent destructive to other birds, the fact that the bare- 

 legged owl feeds so largely on May beetles and injurious weevils places it in the 

 category of beneficial species. As an enemy of the caculo (Lachnosterna sp.) 

 alone it merits full protection and conservation. 



The following were identified in the stomachs examined : 



ORTHOPTERA. 



Epilampra sp 



Anurogrgllus muticus — 

 Scapteriscas didactylus. 



HEMIPTERA. 



Proamo hilaris. 



COLEOPTERA. 



Pyrophorus luminosus 2 



Parandra sp 1 



Atwnius stercorator 1 



Lachnosterna sp 4 



Compsa sp 1 



COLEOPTERA- 



Leptostylns sp 



Lachnopus sp 



Diaprepes spenglcri __. 



-continued. 



ARACHXIDA. 



Centrums sp 



Isometrus maculatus 



VERTEERATA. 



Anolis sp 



Setophaga rutieilla (redstart) 



Tiaris b. omissa (Carib grassquit). 



CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW. Antrostomus carolinensis (Gmelin). 

 Capacho, Guabairo. 



The last of December I saw a chuck-will's-widow in a small second-growth 

 forest above the experiment station at Rio Piedras, and on January 11 Senor 

 Jose J. Monclova, of that town, gave me a fine specimen. These birds are 

 apparently rare but regular winter visitants to this region. Bowdish (1902-3, 

 p. 365) records them from Vieques Island, December 15 and 28, 1899, and Gund- 

 lach (1878, p. 201) had one from Coamo Springs, and one from Arecibo In 

 February, 1S76. Stahl (1SS3, p. 61) says that they are very rare migrants. 



Food. — The stomach of the single bird noted above was entirely filled with 

 animal matter. The only thing that could be identified was a May beetle 

 (Lachnosterna sp.), amounting to 15 per cent. From what is known of its 

 habits in the North this species should feed on all of the common nocturnal 

 beetles and moths. 



WHIP-POOR-WILL. Antrostomus vociferus vociferus (Wilson). 

 Guabairo Chico, Guaraiba. 



The only known species of the whip-poor-will from the island is a female 

 taken by Clark P. Streator for Cory (1889, p. 276). I flushed a bird from a 

 stump in the small forest above the experiment station at Rio Piedras Decem- 

 ber 23, 1911, and felt certain it was of this species. It is a very rare migrant. 



CUBAN NIGHTHAWK. Chordeiles virginianus minor (Cabanis). 

 Cregdete, Capacho, Querequetec, Compacho. 



According to Stahl (1887, p. 451), the Cuban nighthawk is a rare summer 

 visitant, arriving in April and leaving in October, and nesting on the island. 



iAbre mficaro los ojos ; 

 Otro pajaro te engano. 

 Otro espipita el cafe, 

 Y tu trapao en la rama ! 



