REPORT ON THE SECTION OF BIRDS' EGGS IN THE U. S. NATIONAL 



MUSEUM, 1888. 



By Capt. Charles E. Bendire, U. S. A., Honorary Curator. 



The following important additions have been made to the collection 

 .of birds' eg'gs during the year: 



From Lieut. H. G. Benson, Fourth Cavalry, U. S. Army, Fort Hua- 

 chuca, Arizona, were received 6 species, 14 specimens. Some of the rarer 

 amongst these are as follows: Golumba fasciata (2 specimens) ; Colli- 

 pepla sguamata (3 specimens) ; Vireo huttoni stephensi with nest (3 spec- 

 imens) ; Psaltriparus plumheus (2 nests) are new to the collection. From 

 Dr. J. C. Merrill, assistant surgeon U. S. Army, Fort Klamath, Oregon, 

 came 11 species, 77 specimens. Among them were 4 sets, 22 specimens, 

 of Parus gamhelli. From Dr. A. K. Fisher, Department of Agriculture, 

 were received 1 set of 2 eggs of Buteo lafissimus. From T. Stephens, 

 San Bernardino, California, were purchased 1 set of 4 eggs and nest of 

 Folioptila californica ; new to the collection. Mr. C. W. Richmond, 

 Washington, District of Columbia, gave a collection of 84 species, 950 

 specimens, mostly from the District of Columbia. From Denis Gale, 

 Goldhill, Bowlder County, Colorado, was received a fine collection, in- 

 cluding Bubo virginianus subarcticus (2 specimens), and Garpodacus cag- 

 sini (4 specimens). Dr. William C. Avery, Greensborough, Alabama, 

 presented 2 nests and a set of 3 eggs of Bendroica vigorsi ; 4 sets, 15 

 specimens, and 3 nests of Peuccea cestivalis baclimani ) new to the col- 

 lection. Col. N. G, Goss, Topeka, Kansas, contributed 1 e.gg of Sula 

 gossi and 2 eggs of Sula brewsteri ; both species new to the collection. 

 Dr. C. Hart Merriam, of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, gave 

 nests and 4 eggs of Geothlypis Philadelphia. Herbert Brown, Tucson, 

 Arizona, presented four specimens of Piranga rubra cooperi; 2 nests 

 and 8 specimens of Harporhynchus benderei ; and 1 nest of Harporhynchus 

 pnlmeri, and others. The nests are new to the collection. 



One hundred and four nests have been received during the year. 



The character of the routine work has consisted in taking the meas- 

 urements, numbering, classifying, and re-arranging 1778 specimens ; 

 relabeling and arranging part of the reserve series of eggs after the 

 "American Ornithological Union " check-list, and repacking and label- 

 ing a large duplicate series of nests. 



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