BIRDS OF PORTO RICO. 55 



BLUE PIGEON. Chloroenas inornata exsul Ridgway. 1 

 Paloma Sabanera. 



The blue pigeon is now rare in Porto Rico. Gundlach (1878, p. 343) found 

 a few near Lares in July and Stahl (1883, p. 148) had a female in his collec- 

 tion. They were reported to the writer several times and seemed to be found 

 in the coastal region, though no definite localities were known. As the name 

 was familiar to sportsmen, the birds doubtless have been shot in recent years. 

 This species should be included with the paloma turca in any restrictions upon 

 hunting (see p. 54). 



SANTO DOMINGO PAROQUET. Conurus chloropterus (SouancS). 



Periquito. 



Cory (1892a, p. 228) referred a paroquet taken on Mona Island by W. W. 

 Brown, jr., to the species Conurus chloropterus, and permitted the writer to 

 examine this bird and a small series from Santo Domingo. The specimen from 

 Mona unquestionably belongs to this species, though with further study it may be 

 differentiated as a subspecies from the Santo Domingan bird. Gundlach (1878, 

 p. 229) received three wings from Mona Island taken by Block, and these were 

 later described as C. gundl'achi by Cabanis. Bowdish found no paroquets on 

 Mona, and the writer made careful inquiries when on the west coast among the 

 fishermen who visited Mona regularly, but could learn nothing regarding them. 

 One man claimed to have lived there a year without seeing them, though he 

 was able to describe the other birds of the island accurately. 



There is reason to believe that at one time there existed a species of paroquet 

 in Porto Rico, but it has long been exterminated. According to the British 

 Museum Catalogue of Birds, it is represented by the type in the Paris Museum 

 and by an additional specimen at Leyden. Gundlach was told of a paroquet 

 formerly common in the eastern interior of Porto Rico and on Vieques Island, 

 but long since extinct. Stahl (1887, p. 448) says that some of the oldest in- 

 habitants had heard from their parents of this bird, but that it had disappeared 

 long ago. Bowdish (1902-3, p. 20) heard of its occurrence near Lares, but I 

 could find no one who knew anything about it. There were numerous paro- 

 quets in captivity in Porto Rico, but they were either C. wagleri, from Venezu- 

 ela, or more rarely C. chloropterus, imported from Santo Domingo. 



PORTO RICAN PARROT. Amazona vittata Boddaert. 



COTORRA. 



Fifteen years ago the parrot was a common species in Porto Rico and on 

 Culebra, 2 but now has disappeared except in a few localities, mainly in the 

 northeastern portion of the island, on El Yunque and immediately around its 

 base. Twenty or more ranged through the dense, swampy forests north of 

 *Mameyes, perhaps 50 were seen around the west fork of the Rio Mameyes, a 

 number were heard calling in the dense forests covering the summit of El 

 Yunque itself, and they are said still to be fairly common around Preston's 

 ranch above Naguabo. They have practically disappeared farther west, though 

 reported from below San Sebastian, and Mr. Leopold B. Strube, of the Hacienda 

 Jobo, between Arecibo and Utuado, said that during winter 50 or 60 were found 

 on his plantation, though none nested there. 



Near Mameyes parrots remained in the swamps during the day, coming out 

 to the borders morning and evening to feed, but when alarmed flew back imme- 

 diately. Sometimes a small flock fed in company with white-crowned pigeons 



1 Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XXVIII, May 27, 1915, pp. 106-107. 



2 Mr. Ridgway has separated the bird from Culebra as Amazona v. gracilipes. (Proc. 

 Biol. Soc. Washington, XXVIII, May 27, 1915, p. 106.) 



