| ous al Cr Nad I 
COLLECTIONS. 
Mr. James M. Southwick has kindly rendered the following 
interesting report, and we must mention also, among the notable 
State collections, that of water birds assembled and owned by Mr. 
LeRoy King of Newport. 
“The Rhode Island birds, donated to the Museum of Natural 
History at Roger Williams Park, Providence, by the late Charles 
H., Smith, are considered to present one of the best local collections 
in existence, representing as they do.two hundred and _ ninety-two 
species. There are four hundred and eighty specimens, repre- 
senting often the male, female, and very young birds, or conditions 
of spring and autumn plumage, and an occasional case of albi- 
nism. The posturing of the specimens exhibits some of the best 
and most recent work in taxidermy, and abundant data is available 
for nearly all of them. Of the whole number of specimens twenty- 
two were not captured in Rhode Island. The genuine speci- 
mens having been lost, or held at present by persons who do not 
care to part with them, it has been thought best to add these few 
representatives for the present. } 
Among our particularly interesting species I may mention: a 
Sooty Tern, a Leach’s Petrel, found disabled on a street in the 
city of Providence a mile from any water; a Canvas-back Duck, 
the Lesser Snow Goose, and a Blue Goose, as well as a Little 
Brown Crane, Wood Ibis, European Corn Crake, Black Gryfalcon, 
Turkey Vulture, Great Gray Owl, Barn Owl and Richardson’s 
Owl. ; 
A Piping Plover and her young, and a Carolina Wren and her 
young give evidence of the breeding of those species in the State. 
The collection is well displayed, and is continually referred to by 
our visitors.” . 
