﻿54 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 74 



the noddy terns, which are tree and bush building birds, are making 

 their homes in ckimps of grass wherever these are available, or on 

 old boards or even in bare sand. Their habits in the last lo years 

 have changed on this key almost completely, resulting in the shrinking 

 of the colony from about 4,000 birds, as estimated by Dr. Watson, 

 to about 800, Dr. Bartsch's estimate, at present. Figures 50, 51, and 

 52 show the changes that have taken place. The photograph of 

 figure 50 was taken five years ago ; the other two this year. 



Another interesting observation made on birds was the large num- 

 ber of thrushes found, chiefly on Garden Key. These included the 

 veery, the olive back, the hermit, Alice's and Bicnell's thrush, all 

 rather emaciated. Evidently the place did not furnish adequate food 

 for them. It was interesting to see these birds mingle with the 

 colony of exceedingly active white rumped sand pipers, which fre- 

 quented the outer sandy beach of Garden Key, and to watch them 

 chase sand fleas on the beach for food. 



COLLECTING TRIP TO JAMAICA 

 In February, 1922, Mr. John B. Henderson, a Regent of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, desiring living specimens of Antillean Zonitid and 

 Thysanophoroid landshells for anatomical study in connection with 

 a monograph on these groups in preparation, proceeded to Jamaica to 

 collect them. He made trips to Bog Walk on the Rio Cobre River, 

 to Holly Mount on the summit of Mount Diablo, to Momague and 

 to Brownstown in the Province of St. Anns. From the latter point he 

 proceeded to St. Acre to complete for the Museum its series of fossil 

 land shells occurring there in a Pleistocene deposit. From Browns- 

 town he continued along the north coast to St. Anns Bay, collecting 

 at numerous stations. A final trip was made to Morant Bay along 

 the southeast coast. Although the time spent in the island was only 

 a fortnight, the results were most satisfactory. About 40 species 

 of land mollusks were expanded and preserved for study and as many 

 more were collected for their shells only. Mr. Henderson also visited 

 Panama for the purpose of learning the possibilities of obtaining 

 suitable craft from the Canal Zone authorities for contemplated 

 future dredging operations at Colon and Panama. 



THE MULFORD BIOLOGICAL EXPLORATION 

 The National IMuseum has received the zoological material, other 

 than reptiles, batrachians and fishes, collected by the IMulford Biologi- 

 cal Exploration of the Amazon Basin, an expedition financed by 



