BIRDS COLLECTED IN CUBA AND HAITI BY THE PARISH-SMITHSONIAN EXPEDITION OF 1930 By Alexander Wetmore Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution INTRODUCTION ; . ' The Parish-Smithsonian Expedition of 1930 was organized by the late Lee H. Parish, with the cooperation of his father, Semmes W. Parish, for zoological exploration in Haiti, including also in its scope studies along the northern coast of Cuba. Though planned principally to cover work with birds and reptiles, so far as practica-ble the investigations included also collections of mammals, fishes, mollusks, and other groups. The present report is concerned with the birds, of which 558 specimens and six sets of eggs were obtained. The party had at its service the yacht Esperanza (pi. 1), an 80-foot ketch-rigged boat equipped with an auxiliary engine, so that it was practicable to work at a number of important areas, particu-larly in Haiti, that otherwise would have been difficult of access. Besides the two already mentioned, the party included Mrs. S. W. Parish, who assisted in radio communication, in photography, and in the care of specimens, and Watson M. Perrygo, of the staff of taxidermists of the United States National Museum. In addition to being head of the scientific party Lee Parish was captain and navigator, and was untiring in his efforts to promote the success of the work. The party devoted the major part of its time to collections on islands lying off the Haitian coast, as the Esperanza offered an exceptional opportunity for study in these comparatively little-worked areas. The Esperanza left Miami, Fla., in the afternoon of February 15, 1930. The following morning a black-throated blue warbler and two Maryland yellowthroats came aboard, and the first specimen of the expedition, a yeliowthroat, was obtained. On the same day the ship passed Bimini and that night anchored at Gun Cay in the Bahamas, but no landing could be made because of stormy weather. After a stormy passage the ship anchored at Gibara, Cuba, on February 20, and remained there until February 28, allowing oppor-No. 2925.— Proceedings U. S. National Museum. Vol. 81, Art. 2 1
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