SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF EXPLORATIONS BY THE U. S. FISH COM-MISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS. [Published by permission of Hon. Marshall McDonald. TJ. S. Commissioner of Fisheries.] No. I. -BIRDS COLLECTED ON THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS IN 1888. by-Robert RlDGWAY, Curator of the Department of Birds. The collection of birds made by the Fish Commission Steamer Alba-tross having been placed by the Commissioner of Fisheries in my hands lor identification and report, the following list of the species is here-with given, classified according to locality, and accompanied by such notes as seem necessary or desirable. The collection was made by Prof Leslie A. Lee, naturalist of the ex-pedition, assisted by Mr. Charles H. Townsend and Mr. Thomas Lee, and would doubtless have been much more extensive had not other duties, more closely connected with the main objects of the cruise, pre-vented. In compliance with instructions from Professor Baird, then Com-missioner of Fisheries and Director of the National Museum, the writer prepared for the use of the naturalists of the Albatross memoranda of "suggestions as to what localities lying along or contiguous to the pro-posed route" of that vessel were "most worthy of special ornitholog-ical exploration," besides naming the more important and special desiderata; while Mr. Leouhard Stejueger, Assistaut Curator of the Department of Birds, furnished memoranda of " suggestions for the exploration of the avifauna of the Galapagos Islauds," which gave, besides recommendations regarding future explorations, a review of what had already been accomplished in that interesting group by previous explorers. It is much to be regretted that so little attention was paid to the collecfing of specimens of the Procellariidce, for obtaining which un-usual opportunities must have been afforded, since numerous species of this pelagic family of birds are involved in great confusion, and it is equally unfortunate that no notes accompany the specimens; but doubt-less this apparent oversight was caused by want of necessary time, or other circumstances over which the naturalists of the expedition had no control. The collection of birds from the Galapagos archipelago is of special interest for the reason that two islands are represented upon which no collections have previously been made, several new species being thus Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XII— No. 767.
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