Bird egg collection

DateCirca 1905

Mediumeggshell

DimensionsBoxes 1-3 22"L x 16"W x 3"H, Box 4 22"L x 16"W x 4"H

Object number00.238.11

Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum

DescriptionHartson Hallett Bodfish (1864-1945), was a successful whaling and commercial captain from Martha's Vineyard. His collection of birds eggs was known during his lifetime, and he is cited as the collector of specimens illustrated in "American Birds Eggs" by Chester Albert Reed (Doubleday, Page & Co., 1904). This Bird egg collection includes approximately 100 specimens, each 1-10 eggs. Some have labels identifying the species. They were all collected by Captain H.H. Bodfish [Hartson Hallett Bodfish] of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts in the early 1900s. Most are American (east coast) birds; some were collected in Alaska. In 2011, the specimens were rehoused in four compartmentalized archival boxes.

Bodfish served on numerous ships during his career, including: MARY D. HUME (1891-1892), wintered at Herschel Island; NEWPORT (1892-1895), wintered at Herschel Island; BELUGA (1898-1899), steam whaler from San Francisco, wintered at Langton Bay and Baillie Islands; WILLIAM BAYLIES (1905); BAILESS (1907), upon which Bodfish was accused of murdering a crew member; and HERMAN (1910)

Bodfish was also the author of the autobiography, "Chasing the Bowhead" (Cambridge Harvard University Press, 1936). Other repositories hold collections related to him and his life, including the Martha's Vineyard Museum (Captain H. Bodfish Collection)
and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (Capt. H.H. Bodfish Arctic Collection).

Inventories contents (Box 1):
Cliff Swallow (Qty 4)
Chimney Swift (4)
Boblink (6)
English Sparrow (6)
Barn Swallow (7)
Song Swallow (4)
Yellow Warbler (3, plus some fragments)
Florida Gallihule (1)
Red-eyed Vireo (4)
Seaside Sparrow (4)
Loggerhead Shrike (1)
American Goldfinch (1 whole; 1 partial)
Bluebird (5)
Belted Kingfisher (5)
Least Tern (3)
Tricolored Blackbird (4)
Tree Swallow (2 whole; 1 partial)
Spotted Sandpiper (4)
Catbird (4)
Yellow Breasted Chat (3 whole; 1 partial)
Cowbird (5)
Purple Martin (3)
Unidentified (4)

Inventoried contents (Box 2):
Chipping Sparrow (4)
Baltimore Oriole (3)
Bullock's Oriole (5)
Blue Jay (5)
Flicker (9)
Common Hen (2)
Screech Owl (3 whole; 1 partial)
Fedoral Land Pigeon (4); enclosed catalogue paper, "Tedoral Land Pigeon/ [Collected by] F. Wvelki/ [Location] Franklin Bay [Alaska]/ [Date] 10 June/ [Set Mark] 2 [Incubation] fresh/ [No. of eggs in set] 4/ [Signed] Capt. H.H. Bodfish".
Oven Bird (3)
Crested Flycatcher (1)
Woodthrush (1 whole; 1 partial)
Towhee (4)
Red winged Thrush (4)
Meadowlark (5)
American Robin (1)
Bob-white (3)
Brown Thrasher (3)
Green Heron (5)
Unidentified (10)

Inventories contents (Box 3):
American Longeared Owl (1)
Noddy Tern (1)
Black Duck (2)
American Crow (1)
American Coot (1)
Bantam Hen (1)
King Rail (1)
Marsh Halk [Hawk] (4)
Roseate Tern (1)
American Eared Grebe (2)
Sooty Tern (1)
American Bittern (2)
Western Grebe (1)
Pidgeon (2)
Murre (1)
Fulmer Petrel (1)
Unidentified (10)

Inventoried contents (Box 4):
Cape Horn Petral (1)
Penguin (1)
Ruby-throated Hum'gbird [Hummingbird]; note: nest with eggs, mounted on branch
Pintail (8); enclosed paper: "[No.] 143/ [Name] Pintail/ [Collector] F. Wvelki/ [Locality] Franklin Bay, Alaska/ [Date] 5 June/ [Set Mark] 1/8 [Incubation] fresh/ [No. of eggs in set] 8 [Identity] shot/ [Signed] Brought home by Capt. H.H. Bodfish".
American Herring Gull (3)
Duck Halk [Hawk] (2)
Flamingo (1)
American Eider Duck (1)
Pacific Eider (1)
American Roughlegged Halk [Hawk] (3); enclosed paper: "[No. 347a] [Name] Am. Rough leg Hawk/ [Collector] F. Wolki/ [Locality] Lady Franklin Bay Alaska/ [Date] June 1, 1905/ [No. of eggs in set] 3 [Identity] sure".
Brown Pelican (2)
Longtailed Jaeger (2); enclosed paper: "[No.] 38 [Name] Long Tailed Jager (sic)/ [Collector] F. Wvelki/ [Locality] Franklin Bay Alaska/ [Date] 7 June/ [Incubation] fresh/ [No. of eggs in set] 2 [Indentity] shot/ [Signed] (both eggs cracked) brought home by Capt. H.H. Bodfish".
Unidentified (3)

Box 4 also has the tags that were not matched to specimens (i.e. the "unidentified" specimens):
Great Black-backed Gull
Arctic Tern
Black-er'd Night Heron
Chickadee
Kingbird
Sora Rail
Least Flycatcher
Short-billed Marsh Wren
Parula Warbler
Pheobe
Maryland Yellow-throat
Bank Swallow
Turtle
Purple Grackle
Least Bittern

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