I 



1916 J Wetmore, Birds of Vieques Island, P. R. 40S 



ROW. — A female was obtained on St. George Island, September 1, 1913. 

 It has been previously recorded from the group but not collected. 



Naimus alascensis. Alaska Wren. — This wren, long known and so 

 abundant on St. George Island, was found on St. Paul Island in 1914 for 

 the first time, and again in 1915. Five birds were seen on the latter island 

 and three were collected. 



THE BIRDS OF VIEQUES ISLAND, PORTO RICO. 



ALEXANDER WETMORE. 



Vieques, called " Bieque or Crab Island," on the older maps lies 

 fourteen miles off the eastern coast of Porto Rico and is the most 

 western of the Virgin group. Notes on the avifauna of this island 

 occur at random through the literatiu'e pertaining to the West 

 Indies but no complete list of the birds of Viecjues has been at- 

 tempted. Mr. B. S. Bowdish (1900) has published a few notes on 

 the winter birds of the island but other published matter pertaining 

 to the subject is widely scattered. Though all unusual records 

 are included in the writer's Birds of Porto Rico (Wetmore, 1916) 

 it is believed that an annotated list of the birds complete so far as 

 present knowledge permits will be of value to workers interested 

 in this region. Much new matter in the form of hitherto unpub- 

 lished field notes is included in this paper. 



Though Vieques Island was settled first in 1.524 little attention 

 appears to have been accorded it by early naturalists. Apotheker 

 Riise of St. Thomas sent a collector across to Vieques about the 

 year 1860 (Newton, 1860): he secured a number of birds among 

 which are recorded the Woodpecker, the Lizard Cuckoo, and one 

 Molothrus aironitens. Apparently the island was not visited by an 

 ornithological collector again until 1899 when naturalists from the 

 U. S. Fish Commission Steamer "Fish Hawk" landed there on 

 February 6, 7, and 8. The birds secured were collected by Dr. 

 J. D. Milligan and Mr. A. B. Baker. 



Following; this Mr. B. S. Bowdish came to the island about 



