PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM by the SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM Vol. 84 Washington : 1937 No. 3021 OBSERVATIONS ON THE BIRDS OF WEST VIRGINIA By Alexander Wetmore Assista^U Secretary, Smithsonian Institution Examination of specimens of eastern birds in recent years has brought constantly to attention the few specimens available from the State of West Virginia, not only in the National Museum collections but elsewhere. Much of what has been known of ranges in the group concerned in this area has been based on assumption, or on material obtained somewhat casually from scattered points. In the spring of 1936 it was decided to take up a definite program of field work in the State, made possible through funds provided in part by the National Museum and in part by the Smithsonian Institution. The work was planned to include collection both of birds and of small mammals. W. M. Perrygo was assigned to this work with Carleton Lingebach as assistant, while Dr. Remington Kellogg, assistant curator of mammals, accompanied the party for the first two weeks in the field to give in-struction in the trapping of small mammals and in the general tech-nique of other work. The party left Washington on April 16, 1936, and continued work until July 10, when through the advance of the season birds were in poor plumage. Work began in the fall on September 16 and continued until November 7. The accompanying account gives in detail the birds collected, with pertinent data concerning them. In it I have included additional information from my own observations made in West Virginia at v^arious times during the past five years, as well as records from the few specimens previously in the National Museum that have come from scattered sources, including the grouse taken by E. A. Preble, who visited the Cranberry Glades in 1909. and specimens obtained by 150094—37 1 401
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