At the end of the 19^th century, large sections of northern and central Florida were unexplored and their biota had been poorly documented. To correct these inadequacies, several northern museums organized and sent parties of experienced naturalists and collectors southward. About 1900, Willis W. Worthington, a New York taxidermist and collector, was hired by the Carnegie Museum as an explorer/naturalist and sent to Florida where he explored major rivers and lakes from Florida's Panhandle to the east coast, and south to the Lake Okeechobee region. Over a 40-year period, he collected several hundred bird-specimens and obtained natural history records.