Field Reports, 1860-1961 Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Institution Archives Washington, D.C. Contact us at [email protected] Table of Contents Collection Overview ........................................................................................................ 1 Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1 Historical Note.................................................................................................................. 1 Descriptive Entry.............................................................................................................. 2 Names and Subjects ...................................................................................................... 2 Container Listing ............................................................................................................. 4 Series 1: FIELD REPORTS ON SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN THE UNITED STATES. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY BY STATE........................................... 4 Series 2: FIELD REPORTS ON SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN CANADA. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY......................................................................... 146 Series 3: FIELD REPORTS ON SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, MEXICO, CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY............................................................................................... 160 Series 4: FIELD REPORTS ON SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN OTHER FOREIGN COUNTRIES, AND GENERAL REPORTS.......................................................... 175 Field Reports https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217333 Collection Overview Repository: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C., [email protected] Title: Field Reports Identifier: Record Unit 7176 Date: 1860-1961 Extent: 66 cu. ft. (132 document boxes) Creator:: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Language: English Administrative Information Prefered Citation Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7176, Field Reports Historical Note The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has its origin in the work of C. Hart Merriam and the old Bureau of Biological Survey in the United States Department of Agriculture. By 1885, the ornithological work being conducted by the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and other private organizations and individuals had grown to the point where private interests were no longer able to finance it sufficiently. Congress was then persuaded to establish a section of ornithology in the Division of Entomology of the Department of Agriculture. The purpose of the section was "the promotion of economic ornithology, or the study of the interrelation of birds and agriculture, an investigation of the food, habits, and migration of birds in relation to both insects and plants, and publishing reports thereon." Through the influence of the AOU and Spencer F. Baird of the Smithsonian Institution, Merriam was appointed Ornithologist. The following year the section attained independent rank as the Division of Ornithology. In 1888 its responsibilities were expanded to include mammals, resulting in a new title - the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy. Merriam's concept of life zones which are fitted by nature for the life of certain associations of plants and animals, and his estimation of the value which the delimitation of such areas would have for agriculture, led him to propose the establishment of a Biological Survey into which his own division would be merged. The 1896 name change of the Division to the Division of Biological Survey was the result. In 1905, it became a Bureau within the Department of Agriculture. The Bureau of Biological Survey remained within the Department of Agriculture until 1939 when it was transferred to the Department of Interior. The following year it was combined with the Bureau of Fisheries, which had been transferred to Interior from the Department of Commerce, to form the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Page 1 of 177 Field Reports https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217333 From the beginning of the Survey's work, field research was of primary importance in gathering information concerning the interrelation of birds, mammals, and agriculture. Field surveys continued to play an important role as the Bureau's work evolved to include game protection, research on fur-bearing animals, the management of game refuges, predatory animal control, and the protection of migratory birds. Surveys conducted by the Bureau usually entailed sending individual naturalists or groups of workers to collect mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians in a particular state or geographic region. The collections would be augmented by detailed notes, specimens of representative plant life, and photographs of the environment being studied. The compiled materials would serve as the basis for a detailed report on the region. Biological surveys were also conducted at several regional field stations administered by the Bureau. Descriptive Entry This collection consists primarily of reports, notebooks, notes, photographs, maps, and related materials documenting field research conducted by staff naturalists of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and its predecessor, the Bureau of Biological Survey. The reports, which primarily concern biological surveys conducted in the United States, are usually submitted to the Chief of the Bureau or to the division or section responsible for field research. Also included are a substantial number of reports concerning field work carried out in Canada and Mexico. A small amount of reports document work in South and Central America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Antarctica. Most of the field reports are of a general nature documenting biological surveys of a particular state or geographical region. They fall into three categories: special reports, physiography reports, and plant reports. Notes on birds and mammals are joined to comprise the special reports and concern the observation, identification, distribution, and collecting of specimens. The physiography reports consist of notes and observations on the natural phenomena of the area surveyed, such as climate, topography, bodies of water, etc. Notes on plant life, trees, and vegetation are recorded in the plant reports. Reports on specific projects or topics are found throughout the collection. Included are reports on predatory animal control; faunal distribution and migratory studies; national parks and wildlife refuges (including reports on proposed parks and refuges); species introduction projects; wildlife management studies; conservation and wildlife problems; environmental impact studies; animal behavior projects; wildlife diseases and epidemics; bird-banding projects; and fur-bearing animal studies. The collection also includes correspondence from staff naturalists and the general public usually pertaining to birds or mammals observed; newspaper clippings; and publications. Names and Subject Terms This collection is indexed in the online catalog of the Smithsonian Institution under the following terms: Subjects: Biologists Biology Botanists Botany Ecologists Ecology Mammalogists Mammalogy Page 2 of 177 Field Reports https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217333 Naturalists Ornithologists Ornithology Types of Materials: Black-and-white photographs Manuscripts Names: United States. Bureau of Biological Survey Geographic Names: Africa Asia Canada Central America Europe Mexico South America United States Page 3 of 177 Series 1: FIELD REPORTS ON SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN THE Field Reports UNITED STATES. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY BY STATE. https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217333 Container Listing Series 1: FIELD REPORTS ON SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN THE UNITED STATES. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY BY STATE. All states but Hawaii are represented. Box 1 ALABAMA Box 1 of 132 Folder 1 Barkalow, Frederick Schencke, Jr. Special Reports, 1940 Box 1 of 132 Folder 2 Brimley, Clement Samuel. Special Reports, 1890 Box 1 of 132 Folder 3 __________. Physiography, 1890 Box 1 of 132 Folder 4 Burleigh, Thomas Dearborn (with James Lewis Seal, Don Edgar Eyles, and Harold Seymour Peters). "Birds observed on Petit Bois Island, Alabama." September 3, 1936. Box 1 of 132 Folder 5 __________ (with James Lewis Seal, Don Edgar Eyles, and Harold Seymour Peters). "Vegetation observed on Petit Bois Island, Alabama." September 3, 1936. Box 1 of 132 Folder 6 Einarsen, Arthur S. Special Reports, 1935 Box 1 of 132 Folder 7 Goldman, Luther J. Special Reports, 1915 Box 1 of 132 Folder 8 __________. Physiography, 1915 Box 1 of 132 Folder 9 Gutsell, James Squier. Special Reports, 1911 Box 1 of 132 Folder 10 __________. Physiography, 1911 Box 1 of 132 Folder 11 __________. Plant Reports, 1911 Box 1 of 132 Folder 12 Holt, Ernest Golsan. Special Reports, 1912 Box 1 of 132 Folder 13 __________. Physiography, 1912-1913 Box 1 of 132 Folder 14 __________. Plant Reports, 1912-1913 Page 4 of 177 Series 1: FIELD REPORTS ON SURVEYS CONDUCTED IN THE Field Reports UNITED STATES. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY BY STATE. https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217333 Box 1 of 132 Folder 15 __________. Special Reports, 1913 Box 1 of 132 Folder 16 Howell, Arthur Holmes. Special Reports, 1908 Box 1 of 132 Folder 17 __________. Physiography, 1908 Box 2 Box 2 of 132 Folder 1 Howell, Arthur Holmes. Special Reports, 1911 Box 2 of 132 Folder 2 __________. (with James Squier Gutsell). Plant Reports, 1911 Box 2 of 132