The field notes document the work of Neal Smith on Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada, during May to August 1961. The loose sheets begin with a map outline of the artic "Larus" problem, defined as, "a series of gull populations present a confusing array of phenotypes -- the majority of which have been collect outside arctic region. The distribution of these populations in their arctic breeding grounds was not known to any great extent." The entries are dated, headed with location information, and followed by information organized by topics that varies from entry to entry. These include weather, observations of birds and their behavior, habitat, routes traveled, weather and temperature, hand drawn mpas with notes, habitat and terrain, insects present, geology, vegetation, and trips. At the end is a specimen catalog with specimen number (1-61 to 27-61), type of bird, sex, date, location information, and description as well as a egg-white catalog with specimen number (EW.1-61 to EW10-61), bird type, date, location information and description of egg.
Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu.
