144 



TIIK NIDIOLOGIST. 



The Birds of Smith's Island, Virginia. 



THIC above-named island lies in the 

 Atlantic Ocean, about three miles 

 distant from the eastern shore ot Vir- 

 ginia, near the entrance to Chesa- 

 peake Bay. In extent it is about nine 

 miles long, the greatest width about one 

 mile. 



There is quite a heavy growth of timber, 

 principally pine, covering the southern 

 part of the island, but the greater portion 

 is a barren sand beach, surf washed in 

 heavy storms. 



As there had been no systematic collect- 

 ing or observation of the birds occurring on 

 the island for many years, the writer, in 

 company with Messrs. E. M. Hasbrouck 

 and Charles W. Richmond, of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, decided to spend several 

 weeks on the island and note as fully as 

 possible its bird life. Accordingly we left 

 Washington May 13, 1894, arriving at the 

 island after a rather tedious trip by steamer, 

 wagon and sailboat, the evening of May 14. 



The pine woods offered a good field for 

 specimens, but the mosquitoes were there 

 in swarms, "seeking whom they might 

 devour, " rendering the collector's life in 

 their midst a burden, thus preventing our 

 paying much attention to the bird life of 

 the woods, most of our collecting bein^ on 

 the sand beach. 



The number of species noted on the island 

 was 63, one of which {Tjinga fiiscicollis , of 

 which the writer shot three specimens) had 

 not previously been recorded from Viruinia. 

 There were also a number of species seen, 

 not positively identified, as well as some 

 seen on the mainland, which are not in- 

 cluded in this list: 



Urinator imber 

 Charus atricilla 

 Oelochelidou nilotica 

 Sterna forsteri 



" hirundo 



" antillarum 

 Ardea herodius 



" virescens 

 Rallus crepitans 

 Tringa canutus 



" minutilla 



" alpina pacifica 

 iCreunetes pussilus 

 Tringa fuscicollis 

 Calidris arenaria 

 Actitis macularia 



Symphemia seraipalmata 

 Numenius hudsonicus 

 Charadrius squatarola 

 Aegialitis semipalmata 



" vociferus 



' ' meloda 



" wilsoni 



Arenaria intcrpres 

 Haematopus palliatus 

 Rhynchops nigra 

 Cathartes aura 

 Falco sparverius 

 Pandion haliaetus carolinensis 

 Haliaetus leucocephalus 

 Ceryle alcj^on 

 Dryobates pubescens 

 Colaptes auratus 

 Chordeiles virginianus 

 Chaetura pelagica 

 Tvrannus tyrannus 

 Myiarchus crinitus 

 Corvus americanus 



" ossifragus 

 Dolichonyx orizivorus 

 Agelaius phoeniceus 

 Sturnella magna 

 Icterus spuiius 

 Quiscalus major 



" quiscula 



Ammodramus maratimus 

 Melaspiza fasciata 

 Cardinalis cardinalis 

 Chelidon erythrogaster 

 Tachycinetta bicolor 

 Vireo noveboracensis 



" olivaceous 

 Deiidroica vigorsu 

 " discolor 



" dominica 



Icteria virens 

 Thryothorus ludovicianus 

 Troglodytes aedon 

 Cistolhorus palustris 

 Sitta pusilla 

 Parus carolinus 

 Galeoscoptes carolinensis 

 Passerina cyanea 



Kdwakd J. Brown. 

 Washington, D. C. 



A. J. McKay writes: "On April 20, I 

 found a nest containing one young Robin, 

 no other birds or eggs being in the nest. 

 Unless something had destroyed the birds 

 or eggs I would thing that a case where one 

 egg would have been a set. " [This bird was 

 probably a survivor. — Kd.] 



