Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Birds of Porto Rico (Concluded)

1903; Oxford University Press; Volume: 20; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/4070093

1938-4254

B. S. Bowdish,

Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy

Tyrannus' dominicensis.Gray KiInGBIRD.-Veryabundant wherever I went, and equally so at all seasons.It is perhaps the most conspicuous bird of Porto Rico, being very evenly distributed about the® woods and fields, along the creeks, and about the houses in the towns.In general habits it is much like the common Kingbird; it seems even bolder in defence df its nest, while out of the breeding season it appears rather less pugnacious, though not at all averse to indulging in many a mock battle with its own kind in the tree-tops, uttering loud harsh cries.Its nesting habits, and its eggs are scarcely distinguishable from those of T. tyrannus.One pair, nesting about twenty rods from a ranch house near Aguadilla, furnished @set of three eggs, slightly incubated, June 9, 1900.The nest was on a horizontal limb of a mango tree ten feet from the ground, in an open field; diameter 7.00 X 2.25, depth 3.00 X 1.50 inches.It was composed of fine rootlets and dead vines.Another set of three eggs, one fresh, the other two with incubation commenced, was taken from a nest situated like the last, July 9, at the same locality.It was placed twelve teet from the ground on a horizontal limb of a tree in an open field.Diameter of nest, 8.co X 3.12; depth, 2.50 X 1.25.It was composed of twigs, exteriorly, and lined with rootlets.If a nest is destroyed the birds build another close by, often in the same tree, sometimes in the same position as the first.The number of eggs is almost invariably three, and they apparently rear but one brood in a season, the dates for fresh eggs ranging from June 20 to July 22.In the shade trees on a road leading from Catafio to Bayamon, I have seen as many as eight occupied nests at one time.Several stomachs examined showed the following contents : male, few small berries; female, one large berry-seed and remains of insects; male, berries; male, flies, grasshoppers and other insects; male, berries, coleoptera, and other insects; two males, insects; male and female, seeds and insects; male, seeds and insects; male, seeds and insects; male, insects and two large seeds.The seeds were those of wild fruits on which they feed quite largely.The voice when scolding an intruder resembles that of 7. /yrannus, and they usher in the morning with notes at times quite similar to some the Pheebe occasionally utters.At times their notes cover quite a wide range of variability.54-Pitangus taylori.TayLor's FlLycATcHEer.-Ofthis species almost the same description may be repeated throughout as for the preceding.In some places it seems a little less common than the Gray Kingbird, in others it seems fully to equal it in numbers.Its eggs I have not seen but presume they resemble those of the Gray Kingbird.Two nests with Vol. :so BownisH, Birds of Porto Rico.II young found June 1 and 5, respectively, were not in any way distinguishable from those of the latter bird.The notes are very similar, somewhat harsher, and the bird is perhaps more voluble than its relative, and bolder and more aggressive in defense of its nest.The stomach contents of several specimens examined was as follows: female, insects ; male, insects; male, fruit seeds and skins; female, lizard about two and one half inches long, and remains of another lizard and several hornets.« 55.Myiarchus antillarum.ANTILLEAN CRESTED FLYCATCHER.-A common and fairly evenly distributed bird, observed alike in the vicinity of San Juan, Aguadilla, and Mayaguez, and on the island of Vieques.Rather more quiet than many of the flycatchers.Its cry is peculiar and distinctive, -a long-drawn, mournful whistle, more like the note of the Acadian Flycatcher than of any other member of this family that I know.June 1, 1900;near Aguadilla, a pair were greatly disturbed by my approach to a small tree, in an open field, which contained several holes.Native -boys said they nested in these holes, which seems probable, but at the time of my visit they had apparently not yet built.It is probable that the eggs and nest resemble, on a smaller scale, those of our Crested Flycatcher.The bird has more the appearance of the Phebe.A few stomachs examined contained small shells and coleoptera, small yellow wasps and remains of beetles and fruit-seeds.Other examples contained a much larger percentage of fruit remains and seeds.56.Blacicus blancoii-Common in the western part of the island.Its most common note is a purring cry somewhat suggesting the note of the Wood Pewee, and its general habits and method ot feeding are also similar to those of that bird.It is not shy, and often pursues its insect prey in very close proximity to a person, usually with apparent indifference, sometimes exhibiting a slight degree of curiosity.A deserted nest found near Mayaguez, June 27, 1901, could have hardly belonged to any other bird.It was hung in the tips of a branch of a tree growing ina coffee plantation, on a hillside, and was fifteen feet from the ground.It was built of fine hair-like roots, green stringy moss, and two white flower-petals.It measured 5.50 X 2.00 inches outside, and 2.75 X 1.25 inside.It was very frail and could be seen through from below.It contained one addled egg, and young had apparently been reared in it.The egg measured 0.75 X 0.56 inches; it had a light creamy ground color dotted sparingly, chiefly about the larger end, with specks and dots of burnt umber and cinnamon.Both the nest and the eggs suggest those of the Acadian Flycatcher.They are now in the U. S. National Museum. .57. Corvus leucognaphalus.West INDIAN Crow.-AlthoughI never met with this species, I was told by two of the men of my company that they saw some fifteen or twenty at different times at Caguas..In size and general appearance it is much like our common Crow, but the unexposed portion of the feathers are snowy white.A government collection of which I had charge in San Juan contained a mounted example of this species.