Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-16
QUEER BIRDS found
IN HA|TPS THICKETS.
Second Smallest in World
Discovered by Smithsonian
Collecting Expeditions.
BY THOMAS n. HENRY.

Some queer birds hide in Haitian
/ thickets
An exhaustive catalogue of the bird
| life Of a reputedly birdless island has
| Just been issued by the Smithsonian
| Institution. following . series Of collect
| ing expeditions.
| Among the birds found there by Or.
Alexander Wetmore, assistant secretary
| Of the Smithsonian. is the second small
est in the worlo--the Zumbadorcito, or
verVain hummer. 1t is, he says. about
the size Of a bee. Despite its tiny size,
DR.. Wetmore records, 1t Is extremely
pugnaciolls, and will not hesitate to
dash headlong at . bird as big as the
mockinsbird which chances to offend 1t.
Inconspicuous because of its size and
extremely rapid movements, DR.. Wet
more says. the ornithologiSt Is directed
to 1t by its song, easily audible at q
distance Of rs yards.
Occasionally" he says, this song Is
given en- the wing, but ordinarily the
bird is moved to vocal exp. 5Ssion when
at rest on some perch In the sun. The
song seemingly is greatly enjoyed, as it
may continue without cessation for sew
eral minutes"
Feeds on Small Lizards.
Another curious creature described by
DIR. Wetmore Is the lizard cuckoo. a
bird common through the country dis
trictS.. which feeds largely on small
lizards
"They move" he says, Gin leisurely
manner, walking with long strides along
the tree limbs, often crouchinB and
proceeding stealthily in search Of their
insect or lizard prey or crawling like
great rats along dense branches near
the ground. when flight Is necessary
1t is performed with rapid beats of the
relatively small, rounded wings. and
ends in sail with spread pinionS. The
whole reminds one of the supposed
methods Of flight Of archeopteryx, the
most ancient of known fossil birds"
Lizard cuchooS, he says. are inquisi-
tive and fearless. and may be decoyed
easily to approach within a few feet.
It is common to see one with the limp
body OF q lizard dangling from its bill.
In the Dominican Republic, DR.. Wet
more reports, the flesh Of this bird Is
given to inValidS TO produce appetite
and is highly priced among the country
people as a cure for indigestion.
The Smithsonian study of Haitian
birds partially solves one Of the old
mysteries of American ornithology-
what becomes of the chimney swift in
Winter. For a long time, DR.. Wetmore
the Eastern United States that during
the cold weather this bird went into q
state of suspended animation in caves
or hollow trees or submerged in the
mud of marshes. Ornithologists. who
knew that no birds hibernate, could not
trace the chimney swift. They knew
that in Autumn 1t gathered in flocks,
as for q southwark migration. and 1t
was traced as far as Florida, where 1t
disappeared completely.
Actual Home Mystery.
But in April DR.. Wetmore saw a flock
of about SO circling over his camp in
Haiti, apparently on eMGRr way North
from some wintering place further
south. He finds that the bird had been
seen there twice before. Otherwise
there is only one other record OF it's
being seen south Of the United States.
and the actual Winter home, probably
in Northern South America. Is about
as much OF a mystery as ever.
The most fantastic Of all Haitian
birds, DR. Wetmore believes, now Is ex-
tinct, and is known only by skeletons
He found one rock hollow Allied with
the bones Of extinct animals which, he
believes, was once . nesting place Of