1913.1 NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 189 



ON A COLLECTION OF BIKDS OBTAINED BY THE FRANCIS E. BOND EXPEDI- 

 TION IN THE ORINOCO DELTA AND PARIA PENINSULA, VENEZUELA- 



BY WITMER STONE. 



During the early part of 1911 Mr. Francis E. Bond conducted 

 an expedition to the coast of Venezuela, mainly in the delta of the 

 Orinoco. He was accompanied by Messrs. Stewardson Brown, Con- 

 servator of the Botanical Section of the Academy, and Thomas S. 

 Gillin, of Ambler, Pa. 



Among the collections obtained by the expedition and generously 

 presented by Mr. Bond to the Academy is a series of 504 bird skins, 

 prepared almost entirely by Mr. Gillin from specimens shot bj- 

 himself and other members of the party. 



It has been my privilege to study this collection, a complete list 

 of which is presented herewith. 



In order to better understand the relative position of the several 

 localities, I have drawn up a brief itinerary of the expedition from 

 notes furnished me by Mr. Brown. 



Starting from Port of Spain, Trinidad, the party crossed to the 

 peninsula of Paria, stopping at Cariaquito on the south shore. 

 Collecting was carried on here January 13-22, mainly close to the 

 coast and never more than a mile or two inland. Crossing the gulf, 

 they stopped at Pedernales, January 25-27, and then sailed up the 

 Vagre River, a sort of confluence of several streams, and thence up 

 the Guanipa, arriving at the village of that name on February 2. 

 On February 6, they returned to the Vagre, and on the 8th went up 

 the Manimo to the mouth of the Uracoa, which they reached on 

 February 10. They then ascended this stream to La Pedrita, where 

 they remained February 12-18, and then returning to the Manimo 

 followed it to Tucapeta, some forty miles from the Orinoco itself. 

 Here they spent February 22-23, and then returned down the Manimo 

 to Pedernales, stopping at the Corisal, February 25-28, and reaching 

 the coast on March 4. Thence they returned to Cariaquito, where 

 they stopped March 10-18 to make additional collections before 

 crossing to Trinidad. 



In a region so long familiar to bird collectors as the Orinoco delta 

 it is not surprising that no new forms were obtained, but some of the 



