July, 1916 
BREEDING OF TIARIS CANORA 
147 
the Atlantic Fleet makes this harbor its rendezvous. Those that remain soon get 
accustomed to the ships and are not at all shy. These big birds seem to fall easily to 
the gun. Upon one occasion I took a chance shot with no. 8’s at one sailing high over- 
head and to my surprise he tumbled into the boat. 
Herodinidae. Away from the immediate vicinity of ships and houses one or more 
species are always in evidence. *' Florida coerulea coerulescens (Little Blue Heron) 
seems much the commonest, and "Butorides virescens maculata (Antillean Green Heron) 
the most generally distributed. In running up the Guantanamo River I have observed 
small parties of the former keeping just out of gunshot by making repeated short flights 
ahead of the boat. They seemed loath to leave the stream, and sometimes kept this up 
for a mile or more before swinging up over the mangroves. 
A few years ago Egrets and Spoonbills were fairly common, the latter occurring in 
good-sized flocks of a dozen or more; but during my last visit (1915) I saw no speci- 
mens of either species. While not harrassed within the actual limits of the reserva- 
tion, there was doubtless much persecution in the vicinity outside. Being shy anyway 
they may not be yet as rare as they seem, simply avoiding the harbor while the ships 
are in port. 
Zenaida zenaida. Zenaida Dove. Common in the chaparral, but shy and difficult 
to approach even at the nest. Two fresh eggs were taken from a nest in a low bush 
June 8, 1914, probably a late date. On March 27, 1915, while out with a friend, he 
brought me two eggs which, from his description of the bird, were almost certainly of 
this species, as the only others he might have found breeding locally were the White- 
winged and Carolina doves. This nest also was several feet from the ground. 
Columbigallina passerina aflavida. Cuban Ground Dove. Very abundant and ex- 
tremely tame. They probably begin to breed early, as I found a nest (six feet from the 
ground) with half-fledged young early in March. 
! Falco dominicensis. Cuban Sparrow Hawk. Common and much more tame than 
their northern relatives. I have walked past within twenty feet of one by the roadside. 
I was particularly anxious to find a nest of this species but never succeeded, though I 
once flushed two of the birds from a likely looking hollow stub. Like several other spe- 
cies, birds dissected in March failed to show development of the reproductive organs, 
and I am in doubt as to their breeding season. 
Glaucidium siju. Cuban Pigmy Owl. Not uncommon among palms, and frequently 
abroad in the brightest sunlight. When I first heard its note I mistook it for that of 
a flycatcher. 
Crotophaga ani. Ani. “Judio”. Still common, but perhaps somewhat less so than 
formerly. Usually seen in small flocks of a dozen or less, their shrill cries and black 
dress making them much in evidence. Easily approached, and I have had no diffi- 
culty taking them with my little .44 calibre. Their well-known habit of “dribbling” 
along, so to speak, is very characteristic; that is, a flock seldom moves as a unit, but 
one bird flies ahead and alights, then others follow at intervals, either singly or by 
two’s and three’s, until in a short time they are all together again. I never found a 
nest, though I made a point of looking for it, and birds dissected during February and 
March did not seem to be breeding. Ordinarily these birds are seen along the trails 
and about the more open spaces, but they may retire to the denser scrub to breed. 
Saurothera merlini. Cuban Lizard Cuckoo. This bird has the same shy and retir- 
ing habits as its allies farther north; keeping well to the chaparral it would seldom be 
observed were attention not attracted by its note. Its flight is slow and seldom pro- 
longed more than a few yards, but once on the wing its enormous outspread tail makes 
it conspicuous enough. Usually seen in pairs and quite common. 
Priotelus temnurus. Cuban Trogan. This exquisite bird I saw but seldom and then 
only in thick scrub where it is not easily distinguished in spite of its brilliant plumage. 
But I think it is really comparatively rare. The collector who can put up a good skin 
of this species with neatness and dispatch has skill and experience; the skin itself is 
like tissue and the feathers fall out in bunches at every touch. 
Centurus superciliaris. Cuban Ladder-backed Woodpecker. 
Xiphidiopicus percussus. Cuban Green Woodpecker. Both species fairly common 
wherever there is a sufficient growth of palms; not observed elsewhere. On March 30, 
1915, I shot a male of the former species from a newly excavated hole in a palm stub 
some eight feet from the ground, but unfortunately the eggs had not yet been deposited. 
