PREFACE. 
I FreeL that an apology, as well as an explanation, is due to the subscribers of the 
‘Biologia Centrali-Americana’ for the length of time that has been occupied in 
the production of this work. When it was commenced, in September 1879, it was 
estimated in our prospectus that, when completed, the Zoology would ‘not much 
exceed sixty parts, equivalent to about twelve volumes of 500 pages each,” and that 
twenty parts would suffice for the Botany, the two subjects to be issued concurrently. 
The inclusion of the Archeology was not at that time contemplated, and this subject 
was only undertaken later in consequence of the investigations made by my friend 
Mr, A. P. Maudslay of the famous ruins in Central America, which, together with his 
beautiful photographs, made a valuable addition to our knowledge of the country. 
We had, moreover, underestimated the vast amount of additional material which 
subsequently came into our possession, and thus necessitated the extension of the 
work to a total of 215 parts, or 63 volumes, 
It had been our intention at the termination of the work, and after a careful study 
of the Zoological and Botanical material accumulated from this hitherto little-known 
but exceedingly rich ‘country, to have summarised the result and discussed its bearing 
on the interesting subject of geographical distribution, Salvin’s death after a long 
illness, and my own advancing years and ill-health, compelled me to abandon this 
project, and I should have been obliged to content myself with the conclusions arrived 
at by the various contributors in their respective Introductions had it not been for the 
assistance of Messrs. R. I. Pocock and C. Tate Regan, to whom I am greatly indebted for 
their respective articles on the Mammals, Reptiles, Fishes, Arachnida, Chilopoda, etc., 
which are included in the Indroductory Volume. As regards the Insecta generally, 
which occupy such a large portion of the work, so little is as yet known of the fauna 
of other tropical regions that no satisfactory comparison can be made. 
