Vol. XXXIV) Wermore, Birds of Culebra Island, P. R. ol 
THE BIRDS OF CULEBRA ISLAND, PORTO RICO. 
BY ALEXANDER WETMORE. 
TuE Island of Culebra, second in size of our possessions in the 
Virgin group, lies twenty miles east of Cape San Juan on the north- 
eastern point of Porto Rico. Though known with Vieques as one 
of the Islas de Pasaje, there is little more than passing mention 
made of Culebra in the accounts of historians or in other literature 
pertaining to Porto Rico. Culebra must have been discovered at an 
early date, probably by Columbus in 1493 as in that year he reached 
St. Croix and then crossed to Porto Rico. In 1530 the historian 
Inigo Abbad remarks that the few remaining aborigines left Porto 
Rico and settled on Mona, Vieques and other off-lying islands. 
Before that time Culebra was supposed to have been visited at 
times by the Arawakas from the south. As there was no fresh water 
supply on the island for many years, it remained almost uninhabited. 
Since American occupation of Porto Rico, Culebra has been made 
a naval reserve as the inner bay, Ensenada Honda, harbors vessels 
of large size in safety. In 1899 the United States Fish Commis- 
sion Steamer “Fish Hawk” was at Culebra Island from February 7 
to 12 and a collection of birds was made by Mr. A. B. Baker and Dr. 
J. D. Milligan. In the report of the work done in Porto Rico by 
the scientists on the Fish Hawk (Evermann, 1902, p. 22-23) men- 
tion is made of Brown Pelicans and “coots, ducks, fish hawks and 
Kingfishers as well as various species of land-birds”’ seen about 
the small lagoon near the village on Culebra: this is to my knowl- 
edge the only attempt to enumerate the birds of Culebra Island 
in a published account. Mr. Cory (Auk, 1891, p. 37) lists a single 
specimen of Cereba portoricensis from Culebra Island. Mr. 
Ridgway (Birds of North and Middle America) makes reference to 
specimens from Culebra in several instances, from birds collected 
by the Fish Commission expedition or from a few skins sent in to 
the United States National Museum by officers stationed at the 
naval encampment. It is possible that Mr. Riise of St. Thomas 
secured skins from Culebra in the fifties but I have seen no mention _ 
of them. 
