N.H.S. SURVEY RESULTS FOR P.E.I. NATURAL SCIENCE SPECIMENS ‘

By Geoff Hogan, Springvale, P.E.I.

In 1982 and 1983 the Natural History Society undertook a mailing campaign in an effort to locate natural science specimens that had been collected on Prince EdWard Island and deposited in museum collections off the Island. While several obvious locations, such as the National Museum in Ottawa and other federal institutions, were known to hold P.E.I. material, little was known about other possible repositories across Canada and the United States. Subsequently, a form letter (Appendix 1) was mailed to 56 museums and institutions across the continent (Appendix 2) requesting information on the whereabouts of P.E.I. natural science specimens. Our findings to date are presented here. As P.E.I. never had a provincial museum where specimens and collections could be deposited much of this material was transported elsewhere. Other museums, besides the ones mentioned here, contain P.E.I. material but these are the results of the NHS mailing campaign. To date, approximately 25 institutions have replied to our request. Of these the following do have holdings from P.E.I.

Royal Ontario Museum - Toronto, Ontario - in addition to fish, amphibians and reptiles a single geological specimen is present in the form of a sample of sa onite from Malpeque Bay - acquired in 1913 as part of the w.F. Ferrier collection.

Delaware Museum of Natural History - Greenville, Delaware - a collection of molluscs, mostly bivalves, collected during the past 10 years but also some from the turn of the century.

Field Museum of Natural History — Chicago, Illinois ' ' - in addition ot 25-30 birds they have 29 small mammals collected on the Island from Oct. 26 to Nov. 18, 1897 by Mr. R.T. Young. All specimens are preserved as skins and skulls: masked shrew (Sorex cinereus cinereus) - 2, pygmy shrew (Microsorex hoyi thompsoni)- 2, red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus nicus) - 2, deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus abietoruml - 2, meadow vole Microtus pennsylvanicus acadicus) - 17, red-backed vole (Clethrionomys gapperi gapperil - 4 '

Illinois State Museum — Springfield, Illinois - 1 male mounted surf scoter donated as part of a larger collection which had been obtained through Ward's Biological Supply Company, suspected to be from the early part of the century

Buffalo Museum of Science - Buffalo, New York — a collection of 49 bird study skins from P.E.I. collected primarily between 1903—1926 as part of the F.E. Johnson collection

The Chicago Academy of Sciences - Chicago, Illinois - 2 chunks of pyrolusite, date unknown but probably before 1930, received by J.M. Southwick

The University of Calgary Herbarium - Calgary, Alberta - 2 plant specimens Acer rubrum L. and A, pennsylvanicum L. collected by Anna Cairns in 1972 and 1973 respectively

Harvard University, Herbaria of the Arnold Arboretum and Gray Herbarium - Cambridge, Massachusetts - an extensive collection of P.E.I. plant specimens by many collectors

Royal Onatrio Museum - Toronto, Ontario - 23 species of P.E.I. birds represented by 75 specimens (including 36 Savannah Sparrows (Ammodramus sandwichensis) and 11 Song Sparrows . (Zonotrichia melodiall by many collectors'

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