CORNELL LAB of ORNITHOLOGY LIBRARY at Sapsucker Woods Illustration of Bank Swallow by Louis Agassiz Fuertes ii DATE DUE Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924090299961 Bull. 38, Biological Survey. U. S. Dept of Agricuiture. PLATE |. : 93° gi° , H ) en oF i a Eu eka Sari gs “ss Lu ~Marmbth saa = 7 i i Se ye : is oat Hp ges, 7 2 Cotter L “ OWelnut Ridge ) 2 « v ee AY) Y MAP OF THE LIFE ZONES ARKANSAS. aemey Goper Austral Zone. eae Lower Austrol Zone. \ otldorada 33°|- — } 33) 93° | 4! 3 Sor be’ _| THE NORRIS PETERS CO., WASMINGTON, D.C. Issued October 12, 1911. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY—BULLETIN No. 38 HENRY W. HENSHAW, Chief BIRDS OF ARKANSAS BY ARTHUR H. HOWELL Assistant Biologist, Biological Survey WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1911 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. U.S. DepaRTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BroLocicaL SURVEY, Washington, D. C., April 18, 1911. Srr: I have the honor to transmit herewith, for publication as Bulletin 38 of the Biological Survey, a report on the Birds of Arkan- sas, by Arthur H. Howell. This report fills an important gap in our knowledge of the avifauna of the Mississippi Valley. In mapping the life zones of the region, the lack of definite information as to the number of species within the State of Arkansas, their distribution, and the nature of their occurrence, whether as visitants, migrants, or strays, has been seriously felt, and the present report is designed to supply the needed data. It is the first detailed study to be pub- lished of the avifauna of this State, which is remarkable for the variety and abundance of its bird life, and, although by no means complete, the list marks a long step in advance, adding materially to our knowledge of the birds of the region treated. Respectfully, Henry W. HEnsHaw, Chief, Biological Survey. Hon. James WIzson, Secretary of Agriculture. 2 CONTENTS. The Mississippi bottom lands...................-. panoramas aes The Ozarkreplon sis fesc cz csup ne dondn ads ok See Scat aiiceltenesaches The Ouachita Mountain region.................02.022002-0e cece eee Wiferron ess, acicsevie sien snens sate ceed ode sO iene a Gece aan NUM DER ONS PCClE ss scan cmceiteee dated cisiecesine earn onwaie ia eth a, TABU ODED OCIOS ci fica cea anes acne cum eee aan scien tela weedeat ILLUSTRATIONS. PLATES. Page. Puate I. Map of the life zones of Arkansas........-...-..------+2----- Frontispiece. II. Fig. 1.—St. Francis River. Fig. 2.—Canebrake in primitive hard- woOOd fOreBtioiiec0524 ous osee pets ee Dewi eeeeee eee eee 6 TID... The wood dUCKiioiecsccieceetede cceecccncass do SeeeEeeR eae ee eee ws 20 IV. Fig. 1.—Cypress swamp, Walker Lake. Fig. 2.—Great blue herons SHC Mestes<.55:4.aaatetenptemer hen oc gant eaainie seca weeeeaetins 24 V. The goatsuckers of Arkansas—nighthawk, whippoorwill, and chuck- walltsewid OWiensosc.gcimaendenssn ave oemmaGetieceeetatink es memaneenis 50 VI. A winter seed-eater—the white-throated sparrow..........---------- 64 VII. A summer resident insect-eater—the Kentucky warbler.........-.. 80 TEXT FIGURES. Fie. 1. Breeding area of the chuck-will’s-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis) in BN Htc) 0-2 aR Re Ro TONAL EOE arn PSOE WANE Str Pon U RCE ATE Re NAN te 50 2. Breeding area of the whippoorwill (Anérostomus vociferus) in Arkansas.. 51 3. Breeding area of the scarlet tanager (Piranga erythromelas) in Arkansas.. 69 4. Breeding area of the brown thrasher (Tozostoma rufum) in Arkansas.... 85 4 BIRDS OF ARKANSAS. INTRODUCTION. Arkansas, although long known as a paradise for sportsmen, has been strangely neglected by ornithologists. No detailed study of the avifauna of the State has hitherto been made and very little on its animal life has been published. In mapping the life zones of the Mississippi Valley the Biological Survey has been hampered by the lack of definite information on the distribution of birds in Arkansas, and in order to obtain the data necessary to complete its maps it was found necessary to make a special investigation of the birds of the State and to compile the published records. Arkansas is remarkable for the abundance and variety of its bird life, and many interesting problems of distribution are presented as a result of its topography and geographical position. Situated in the heart of the Mississippi Valley, it forms part of the great highway of migration for a large majority of the birds of passage which summer in the Northern States and Canada, while it affords a congenial win- ter resort for myriads of waterfowl and great numbers of the smaller land birds driven south by the severity of more northern climes. PHYSICAL FEATURES. The most prominent topographic features of the State are the bottom lands of the Mississippi Basin, in which are included the famous Sunken Lands, the Ozark Plateau of the northwest, and the group of more or less isolated mountain ranges south of the Arkansas River sometimes referred to collectively as the Ouachita Mountains. THE MISSISSIPPI BOTTOM LANDS. The so-called Sunken Lands are extensive areas of swamp and overflowed bottom land occupying a large part of Mississippi County and portions of Clay, Greene, Craighead, and Poinsett Counties. The largest of these sunken areas are Big Lake and the broad basin of the St. Francis River, but there are many smaller lakes and sloughs in Mississippi County between Little River and the Missis- sippi. Many of these lakes, including Big Lake (also Reelfoot Lake, in Tennessee), were formed by the disturbances of the land accom- panying the great earthquakes of 1811-1813, usually referred to as the New Madrid earthquake. At that time large forests were prostrated, immense fissures were formed, and profound changes 5 6 BIRDS OF ARKANSAS. took place in the bed of the Mississippi River. Evidences of these remarkable disturbances still remain; parts of the bed of Big Lake are covered with a fallen forest of hardwoods of species usually found on high ground, and in Reelfoot and other lakes many dead stubs of old cypresses stand in deep water far from the present shore line. In late summer and fall most of the lakes and rivers in the Sunken Lands shrink greatly in size and some become entirely dry. From November to March this region is populated with countless numbers of waterfowl of many species. In spring and summer it fur- nishes ideal breeding grounds for wood ducks, cormorants, snakebirds, herons, egrets, and many species of small land birds, but the larger birds, particularly the egrets, have in recent years been greatly reduced in numbers by indiscriminate shooting. All the counties bordering the Mississippi River are similar in topography to the Sunken Lands, but the proportion of overflowed and swamp land is considerably less. Extensive areas of inundated bottom lands are found also in the valleys of Black River, White River, Cache River, and the Arkansas below Little Rock. The lowlands of the State support a magnificent growth of the finest hardwood timber, much of which is still in its primeval grandeur. Large bodies of cypress and tupelo gum occupy the swamps and wet bottoms along the larger rivers. In Lonoke, Prairie, and Arkansas Counties considerable tracts of level prairie land, formerly of little value for agriculture, have recently become valuable through the successful introduction of rice farming. Smaller areas of prairie land occur in other parts of the State, chiefly in Sebastian and Logan Counties. From the bottom lands of the eastern counties the land rises gradually to the westward, becoming hilly through the middle of the State and mountainous in the northwestern and west central parts. In the southwest occur large tracts of pine timber of two species, Pinus echinata and P. teda. THE OZARK REGION. This region occupies the northwestern part of the State north of the Arkansas Valley from Izard, Stone, and Cleburne Counties west- ward. It is a rough, mountainous area, varying in altitude from 1,000 to 1,800 feet, with a few peaks reaching somewhat above 2,000 feet. The prevailing forests are of deciduous trees, with considerable tracts of mixed pine and hardwood timber. Small land birds are numerous in this region, and several northern-breeding forms, such as the whippoorwill, yellow warbler, brown thrasher, and robin, find their southern limit here. 1 For a full account of this earthquake, see N. S. Shaler, Atlantic Monthly, XXIV, pp. 549-559, 1869. A brief account is given also in Bull. 230 (Part 1), Office of Experiment Stations, U. 8. Dept. Agric., 1911. Bul. 38, Biological Survey, U. S, Dept. of Agriculture. PLATE II. Fic. 1.—StT. FRANCIS RivER SUNKEN LANDS. Home OF Woop Ducks, TREE SWALLOWS, SWIFTS, REDWINGS, MARSH Wrens, ETc. aa Fic. 2.—CANEBRAKE IN PRIMITIVE HARDWOOD Forest, TURRELL, ARK. HOME OF BACHMAN AND SWAINSON WARBLERS. LIFE ZONES, 7 THE OUACHITA MOUNTAIN REGION. South of the Arkansas Valley and west of Perry and Garland Counties lies a group of rugged mountain ranges—the highest in the State—known as the Ouachita Mountains. These ranges have a gen- eral east and west direction and are steeper and more isolated than the ranges of the Ozarks. Some of the highest peaks are Magazine Mountain (2,800 feet), Fourche Mountain (2,800 feet), Rich Mountain (2,750 feet), Black Fork Mountain (2,650 feet), Petit Jean Mountain (2,600 feet), and Poteau Mountain (2,550 feet). Both hardwood and pine timber grow on these mountains, the former prevailing in most localities. This region forms the southern- most extension of the Upper Austral Zone in the Mississippi Valley, and several species of birds characteristic of that zone reach their southern limit here. LIFE ZONES. LOWER AUSTRAL ZONE. The greater part of the State is occupied by the Austroriparian division of the Lower Austral Zone, which fills all the lowlands and extends up on the mountain sides to an altitude of approximately 1,200 feet in the southern mountains and 800 to 1,000 feet in the northern mountains. A broad area of this zone occupies the Arkan- sas Valley, and a narrow tongue extends along the upper White River Valley to or beyond the State line. In this zone cotton is the prevailing crop, and, except where the boll weevil has become abundant, the most profitable. Rice growing has in recent years been introduced on a large scale in the prairie regions with great success. Corn is raised extensively and wheat and oats in less quantity. Fruits have been little cultivated, but a large variety may be successfully grown.!| One of the most valuable of the native trees is the pecan, whose cultivation might be profitably extended. This zone is characterized in Arkansas by the presence of a large number of southern plants, mammals, and birds, among which the following are the most conspicuous: Puantrs or THE LowER AuSTRAL ZONE. Bald cypress (Tazodium distichum). Overcup oak (Quercus lyrata). Loblolly pine (Pinus teda). Winged elm (Ulmus alata). Palmetto (Sabal glabra). Planer tree (Planera aquatica). Large cane (Arundinaria macrosperma). Mississippi hackberry (Celtis mississip- Corkwood (Lettneria floridana). piensis). Swamp poplar (Populus heterophylla). Large - leaf magnolia (Magnolia macro- Pecan (Hicoria pecan). phylla). Water oak (Quercus nigra). Water locust (Gleditsia aquatica). Basket oak (Quercus michauct). Tupelo gum (Nyssa aquatica). Swamp Spanish oak (Quercus pagodxfolia). Pumpkin ash (Fraxinus profunda). 1 See Life Zones and Crop Zones of the United States, Bull. 10, Biol. Survey, pp. 46-49, 1898, 8 BIRDS OF ARKANSAS. BREEDING Birps OF THE LOWER AUSTRAL ZONE. Water turkey (Anhinga anhinga). Mississippi kite (Ictinia misisippiensis). Black vulture (Catharista urubu). Little blue heron (Florida cxrulea). Florida barred owl (Strix varia allent). Florida screech owl (Otus asio floridanus). Ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principals). Southern hairy woodpecker (Dryobates villosus auduboni). Red -cockaded woodpecker (Dryobates borealis). Florida nighthawk (Chordeiles virginianus chapman). Chuck-will’s-widow (Antrostomus caro- linensis). Bachman sparrow (Peucexa xstivalis bach- man). Blue grosbeak (Guiraca cxrulea). Painted bunting (Passerina ciris). Prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea). Swainson warbler (Helinaia swainsont). Bachman warbler ( Vermivora bachmani). Sycamore warbler (Dendroica dominica albilora). Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). Brown-headed nuthatch (Sitta pusilla). MammMats oF THE LowER AUSTRAL ZONE. Cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus megacephalus). Golden mouse (Peromyscus nuttalli au- reolus). : Rice rat (Oryzomys palustris). Golden harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys aurantius). Swamp wood rats (Neotoma floridana rubida and N. f. illinoensis). UPPER AUSTRAL Cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus). Louisiana pocket gopher (Geomys brevi- ceps). Swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus). Louisiana skunk (Mephitis mesomelas). Evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis). Carolina shrew (Blarina brevicauda caro- linensis). ; ZONE. The Carolinian division of the Upper Austral Zone covers the greater part of the Ozark region and the slopes of the higher Ouachita Mountains above an altitude of approximately 1,200 feet. In this zone lumbering and fruit raising are the principal indus- tries. Apples are grown very successfully, as well as corn, oats, and hay. Following are some of the most characteristic species occurring in this zone in Arkansas: PLANTS OF THE UPPER AUSTRAL ZONE. Chestnut (Castanea dentata). Red oak (Quercus rubra). Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea). Shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria). Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor). Umbrella tree (Magnolia tripetala). Ohio buckeye (Zsculus glabra). Black ash (Fraxinus nigra). BREEDING Birps OF THE UPPER AUSTRAL ZONE. Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus).} Black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythrop- thalmus). Hairy woodpecker (Dryobates villosus villosus). Whippoorwill (Antrostomus vociferus). Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe). Goldfinch (Astragalinus tristis). Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus). Scarlet tanager (Piranga erythromelas). Yellow warbler (Dendroica xstiva). Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus). Brown thrasher ( Toxostoma rufum). Robin (Planesticus migratorius). MamMALs or THE Upper AUSTRAL ZONE. Woodchuck (Marmota monarz). Attwater cliff mouse (Peromyscus boylet attwateri). Weasel (Putorius sp.). Spotted skunk (Spilogale sp.). 1 Exterminated. SERVICES RENDERED BY BIRDS. 9 ECONOMIC VALUE OF BIRDS. In the early days of the settlement of this country birds were considered of value to man chiefly as a source of food. Modern scientific investigation, however, has demonstrated that most birds are of infinitely more value to the agriculturist through their de- struction of noxious insects, destructive mammals, and weed seed. The great abundance of insects and the widespread injury to crops caused by a host of herbivorous species are well known to every ffrmer, but the important service rendered by birds in keeping within bounds these destructive swarms is less widely recognized. ‘‘The examination of birds’ stomachs,” says Prof. Beal, ‘‘has shown that nearly all of the smaller species, and many of the larger ones, such as the crow, subsist largely upon insects in the summer time, while rearing their young, and, as a general rule, all the small birds feed their nestlings on this food, no matter what the adults may eat.” In fields and gardens the birds most useful in the war against insects are the robin, bluebird, catbird, indigo bird, chipping spar- row, the orioles, blackbirds, meadowlarks, flycatchers, and quail. Swallows, martins, swifts, and nighthawks supplement the work of ground-feeding species by capturing insects in the air as they fly over the fields, and in the orchard and forest a host of keen-eyed foragers, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, wrens, chickadees, warblers, vireos, tanagers, and cuckoos, search out and destroy great numbers of insects destructive to the bark and foliage of fruit and forest trees. Among the special services rendered by birds in the South may be mentioned the destruction of crawfish by various herons, of mos- quitoes by many species, chiefly shorebirds, swifts, swallows, night- hawks, and flycatchers,’ and of the cotton boll weevil by no fewer than 53 species. The relations of birds to this latter insect are of particular interest in view of the rapid spread of the pest in Arkansas. Investigations in Texas and Louisiana have shown that many birds feed extensively on this weevil, and some species, for instance the orioles, show a special liking for it and have learned how to find it in its hiding places in the cotton ‘‘squares.” Besides the orioles, the birds most useful in keeping down the weevil in summer are swallows, nighthawks, flycatchers, and the painted bunting, while in winter splendid service is rendered by meadowlarks, blackbirds, pipits, wrens, and Savannah sparrows, which seek out and destroy the weevils in their hibernating quarters. Cotton growers should see that every species of bird known to feed on the weevil is protected on their lands and should, in addition, strive to increase the numbers of such species as martins and wrens by providing nest boxes for their accommodation. 1Cf, McAtee, Auk, XXVIII, pp. 141-142, 1911. 10 BIRDS OF ARKANSAS, Perhaps the most maligned birds in this country are the hawks and owls. A deep-seated though baseless prejudice against them has persisted to the present day, although it is now nearly 20 years since the Biological Survey demonstrated, as a result of hundreds of stomach examinations, that most of this prejudice is unfounded and that in reality nearly all of our hawks and owls confer a decided benefit on the farmer by destroying field mice, rats, rabbits, other rodents, and insects. The only birds of prey found in Arkansas which are not beneficial are the duck hawk, the sharp-shinned hawk, the Cooper hawk, and the fish hawk. GAME RESOURCES AND LEGISLATION. In the abundance of its game birds Arkansas holds an enviable position among the States of the Union, but in the adoption of meas- ures for their conservation she has lagged somewhat behind her sister States. In pioneer days quail, prairie chickens, wild turkeys, passenger pigeons, the mallard and other ducks, and wild geese were so abundant that there seemed to be no danger of their extermination. To-day the pigeons are exterminated, the prairie chickens are on the verge of extinction, and turkeys have become very scarce save in a few specially favorable regions. The history of the exploitation of these game resources strikingly illustrates the effect which the bird life of a State may have on the development of its legislation and on its attitude toward game protection. Market hunters were early attracted to the game fields, and with the development of railroads and the introduction of cold storage in the handling of game, came an unexpected drain on the resources of the State. Quail, prairie chickens, pigeons, and ducks were trapped or killed in enormous numbers to supply the markets of St. Louis, Chicago, and other cities, and considerable trade was built up in handling game chiefly for shipment to other States. To regulate this traffic a law was passed in 1875 requiring a $10 market-hunting license of nonresident hunters. The first law fixing seasons for hunting game birds was enacted in 1885, and at the same time protection was extended to the nests and eggs of all wild birds except birds of prey, crows, and blackbirds. In 1889 export of game from the State was prohibited, and in 1897 the market-hunting license was increased to $25. In the same year, through the public-spirited efforts of Mrs. L. M. Stephenson, of Helena, was enacted the first comprehensive law protecting nongame birds and one of the first laws of its kind in any of the Southern States. In 1903, not only was killing of game for sale and the sale itself prohibited, but the privilege of hunting was restricted to residents of the State. No close season for ducks or geese has ever been established, and no restriction has been placed on the numbers of these birds which may be legally killed. It is evident, therefore, SOURCES OF INFORMATION. 11 that the abundance of game has caused less attention to be paid to legislation regarding hunting seasons and methods of hunting, while numerous restrictions have been placed on shipment, sale, and market hunting, particularly by nonresidents. These drastic laws were not permitted to stand unchallenged. The nonresident license law of 1875 was set aside by the circuit courts of Craighead and Poinsett Counties in 1887,! and in 1904 the act passed the previous year prohibiting nonresidents from hunting in the State was carried to the supreme court of Arkansas, and this court held the statute unconstitutional in so far as it prevented property owners from hunting on their own land.? The nonexport law enacted in 1893 authorized express companies to examine packages suspected of containing game and held them responsible for the transmission of such shipments out of the State. This broad power of examining shipments with the accompanying responsibility was apparently not relished by the carriers, and a few years ago became the basis of a test case carried to the supreme court. The court sustained the law and held the express companies lable for game shipments intrusted to their care.* Restrictions on the shipment of game and on hunting by nonresi- dents have aroused most opposition in the northeast section of the State, particularly in the Sunken Lands, where enormous numbers of waterfowl attract not only market hunters but sportsmen from other States. Several wealthy clubs have acquired property at favorable points in the region and have erected expensive club houses on their grounds. In the attempt to reap the greatest amount of benefit from the enormous numbers of birds which annually visit this section, there has been a constant eifort on the part of club members and market hunters to secure legislation favorable to their interests. This has resulted in bringing about conditions far from satisfactory, and has left the game without that measure of protection which is considered essential in other States. SOURCES OF INFORMATION. Audubon was probably the first naturalist to visit the State. He passed through Arkansas at various times between the years 1811 and 1819, but no account of his expeditions has been preserved, and _ the published results consist only of scattered records in his “Birds of America’”’ and the description there of a new species of flycatcher (Empidonar trailli), which he procured on the prairies of the Arkansas River. In 1819 Thomas Nuttall made a journey down the Mississippi to the mouth of the Arkansas and up the Arkansas to Fort Smith, but 1 American Field, XXXVI, p. 49, 1892; XX XVIII, p. 3, 1892. 2 State v. Mallory, 83 S. W. 955. 3 Wells Fargo Express Co. v. State, 96 S. W. 189. 12 BIRDS OF ARKANSAS. he was primarily a botanist and his account of the trip, while abound- ing in interesting descriptions and valuable plant notes, contains only casual allusions to the birds seen along the route. In 1820 Maj. Long’s exploring party, on its return from the Rocky Mountains, crossed the State from Fort Smith to Little Rock and thence overland to Cape Girardeau, Mo., but with one or two excep- tions the published account of the expedition contains no reference to Arkansas birds. Several of the later Government exploring expeditions to the Western States made Fort Smith their point of departure, but on account of the location of that place so near the western boundary of the State practically no observations were made until the explor- ing parties had crossed into what is now Oklahoma. The ornithology of Arkansas remained practically unknown until the later years of the last century. Frequent references to the birds of the State, chiefly game birds, are found in the pages of Forest and Stream and American Field, and occasional short articles have appeared in the Auk and other natural history magazines, but only three local lists treating of Arkansas birds have been published. The first of these is a brief account by H. 8. Reynolds of 29 species observed in White County in the winter of 1876-77.!_ In the summer of 1881 O. P. Hay made a few observations near Hopefield, on the Mississippi River, and in a list, published the following year, recorded 29 species from the State.? In 1902 N. Hollister published a list of 51 species of winter birds, which he observed in 1899 and 1900, chiefly on the Grand Prairie of Arkansas County.* This paper sup- plied four additions to the State list and many valuable distribution notes. When Prof. W. W. Cooke began the study of bird migration in the Mississippi Valley, in 1882, only a single observer, Prof. F. L. Harvey, of Fayetteville, was found in Arkansas to contribute notes. In 1884 one more observer, W. A. Monroe, of Newport, was added to the force, and in 1889 and 1890 C. E. Pleas, of Clinton, furnished valuable notes on the birds of the mountain region near that place. Some of the data furnished by these observers were published in Prof. Cooke’s Report on Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley.‘ As early as 1886 Mrs. L. M. Stephenson, of Helena, began to record observations on the birds of that locality, and from 1894 to the present date she has furnished each year to the Biological Survey detailed notes on migration. The data supplied by this series of observations have proved of the greatest value in the preparation of the present report, furnishing many new records and the most im- portant migration dates at present available. 1 Amer. Nat., XI, pp. 307-308, 1877. 2? Bull. Nuttall Orn. Club, VII, pp. 89-94, 1882. 3 Wilson Bull., IX, pp. 10-15, 1902. 4 Bull. 2, Div. Econ. Ornith. [Biol. Surv.], U. S. Dept. Agric., 1888. NUMBER OF SPECIES. 13 In the spring of 1910 Mr. Walter G. Savage moved to Delight, Pike County, and at once began to make observations on the birds of that region. His notes, based in many cases on specimens which he collected, have added much to our knowledge of the birds of the southwestern part of the State. In the winter of 1910-11 Mr. G. Dallas Hanna spent about six weeks at Van Buren collecting birds, chiefly the smaller land birds. His specimens have been examined and identified by the Biological Survey, and these records, together with his notes on 65 species, have added 11 forms to the State list and many new facts on the distribution of winter birds. Most of the information on breeding ranges contained in the present report was gained by the writer during a collecting trip extending from April 28 to July 7, 1910. The principal localities at which observations were made are as follows: Mammoth Spring, Cotter, Lake City, Walker Lake (Mississippi County), Turrell (Big Creek Station), Stuttgart, McGehee, Wilmot, Camden, Delight, Womble, Mena, Rich Mountain (Polk County), Pettigrew, and Conway. Several other members of the Biological Survey staff have visited the State for short periods. Edward A. Preble collected at Fort Smith and Fayetteville from September 15 to October 1, 1892. B. H. Dutcher worked at Hardy, Batesville, Beebe, and Benton in April, 1894. C. E. Brewster visited Big Lake for a few days in No- vember, 1909, and December, 1910, and Wappanocka Lake (Turrell) on December 20, 1910. W. L. McAtee collected from November 12 to 24, 1910, at Mud Lake (St. Francis County), Wappanocka Lake, and Menasha Lake and made observations at Big Lake from June 20 to 23, 1911. NUMBER OF SPECIES. In the list which follows 255 species and subspecies are accredited to the State. No bird is admitted to the list unless there is an actual record of its occurrence, based on a specimen, a published record, or a report by a competent observer. On account of the very limited number of observers many species have escaped detection which, by reason of their known range in adjacent regions, must certainly occur in the State. These species, 35 in number, are included in a hypothetical list, distinguished from the species actually recorded by being printed in smaller type. Dividing the list of birds actually and probably occurring in the State into several categories, we find that 67 species or subspecies may be considered as permanent residents, either nonmigratory birds breeding within its limits or migratory species that occur in both summer and winter; 75 are summer resident breeding spe- cies; 60 are winter residents; 69 are transients—that is, migrating species occurring in either spring or fall; and 19 occur irregularly as 14 BIRDS OF ARKANSAS. accidental visitors. Many species listed as summer residents and winter residents occur also more abundantly as transients. More thorough field investigations will doubtless increase the number of .birds known to occur in the State to about 300 forms. LIST OF SPECIES. Pied-billed Grebe. Podilymbus podiceps. This little grebe, known locally as ‘‘didapper’’ and ‘‘hell-diver,” ‘may be found during the spring and fall migrations on almost any lake or slough in the State. In the nesting season, however, it is ‘rare, and the only record at hand is that of a bird which I saw at Wilmot on June 29. The last migrants at Clinton were reported November 5 (Pleas, 1890), but a few were seen between November 15 and 21 (McAtee, 1910) at Mud Lake, St. Francis County; Turrell, Crittenden County; and Menasha Lake, Mississippi County. It is possible that small numbers may spend the winter in the Sunken Lands. The demand for grebes’ feathers for millinery has worked havoc among the larger species, and doubtless this little bird has suffered to some extent with the rest; but its small size, retiring habits, and wonderful diving powers preserve it in a measure from destruction, and under present conditions it is likely to hold its own. It is a harmless and interesting bird and should be everywhere protected. Loon. Gavia immer. The loon breeds from the Arctic Ocean south to Iowa and Illinois and winters from southern Canada to the Gulf coast. It probably occurs in Arkansas as an uncommon spring and fall migrant and has once been reported as a winter resident—at Clinton, in 1890. Herring Gull. Larus argentatus. The herring gull, the largest of its family found in the Mississippi Valley, is widely distributed in both North America and Europe, chiefly along the seacoasts and on large lakes and rivers. It has been reported in winter near Clinton and probably occurs regularly in migration. Mr. S. C. Dowell, of Walnut Ridge, has a specimen which was killed in the vicinity of that town. Ring-billed Gull. Larus delawarensis. The ringbill breeds in Canada and the northern United States and winters from the Great Lakes south to Mexico and Cuba. The only definite record from Arkansas is that of a bird in the possession of Mr. S. C. Dowell, which was killed near Walnut Ridge, but the species is doubtless a fairly common migrant in both spring and fall, GULLS AND TERNS. 15 [Franklin Gull. Larus franklini. This small black-headed gull is a common summer resident in the upper Mississippi Valley from Iowa north to southern Canada, and winters from the Gulf coast southward to South America. It undoubtedly occurs in Arkansas in migration.] Bonaparte Gull. Larus philadelphia. This species, one of the smallest of the gulls, is probably a regular, though uncommon, transient visitant. No recent records of its occurrence are at hand, but Audubon mentions a specimen which he shot November 12, 1820, on the Mississippi River, a few miles below the mouth of the Arkansas.’ [Forster Tern. Sterna forsteri. This tern is widely distributed in the Mississippi Valley, breeding on. the coasts of Louisiana and Texas and also from Nebraska and Illinois northward. It is recorded as a regular transient visitant in Missouri, and probably occurs in Arkansas.] [Least Tern. Sterna antillarum. The least tern is known as a summer resident in the Mississippi Valley, formerly common, now very rare as a result of persecution by plumage hunters. It formerly bred north to Iowa and Nebraska and has been observed in summer in recent years at Tallulah, La.? Oberholser found it fairly common in June, 1902, near Texarkana, Tex., within a few miles of the Arkansas line. In former years it undoubtedly occurred in Arkansas and it may still be found in the State. ] ‘ [Black Tern. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis. The black tern breeds from Missouri and Ohio northward to northern Canada and winters south of the United States. It undoubtedly occurs regularly in Arkansas as a spring and fall migrant.] Water Turkey.