NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE. 



Vol. XIII. FEBRUARY, 1900. No. 1. 



ON THE BIRDS OF THE ISLAND OF TRINIDAD. 



By 0. E. HELLMAYR. 



ri"^HE iire.sL'iit jiaper is primarily liased ou the extensive collectiou.s made l)j' 

 -L Mr. Andre or his collectors in different parts of the island. Besides these 

 series, which amount to upwards of 1500 skins, the Tring Mnseum received a 

 number of birds collected bv Dr. Percv Rendall in the districts of Savannah 

 Grande and Tacarigua. 



The greater part of Mr. Andre's collections was brought together on the 

 C'aparo and ( 'aroni Rivers, in the province Chaguauas ; bnt a good many specimens 

 have also been sent from Chaguararaas, on the north-western peninsula, and i'rom 

 Valencia, ])rovince of Arima. A few skins were obtained at Mount Aripo, at an 

 elevation (if from 150U to 2■^W feet. Among these are several species not obtained 

 elsewliere : such as, Titnagra cijcitiocephala suhrinerea ScL, Colihri (lelphinrie (Less.) 

 and Steatnn/is caripensis Humb. Thus, it would appear that the avifanna of the 

 mountainous district is to a certain extent different from that of the plains. 



The best account of the birds of Trinidad has been published by Mr. Frank 

 Chapman in the Bulletin of the American Museum, vol. vi. (1894) pp. 1 — SO. This 

 elaborate paper contains a review of the existing literature, and the faunal position 

 of the island is so fully discussed that I need not go into the question at great 

 length. Mr. Chapman also called attention to the fact that most of the so-called 

 " Trinidad " skins are collected on the Venezuelan mainland. Many of these 

 skins in continental museums are labelled " Trinidad," " Orinoco delta," or even 

 " (luiaua," but their exact localities are as yet unknown. I suspect, however, that 

 they mostly come from that part of Venezuela south of the Orinoco delta adjoining 

 British Guiana, inhabited by the Warraw Indians. It appears that the Indian 

 linnters visit the plains as well as more elevated districts (perhaps the Serra de 

 Imataea), as typical (iniaiia forms, sui^h as Xi-nopipu atronite/is, and at the same 

 time characteristic high bind species, for instance ('nt/iarus tnelpomene /jirc//ul/i Heeh., 

 occur in these trade collections. The most remarkable type, however, is JL/lon</mjj/M 

 macroceica Gonld. This has been attributed to Brazil by Salviu and Hartert, 

 but the make of the skins leaves not the slightest doubt as to their origin. The 

 many specimens examined are all of the nsnal '' Orinoco" m;ike, as is also the type 

 of C/tloropkanes purpurascens Scl. & Salv. 



As well known, Trinidad belongs faunistically to Venezuela, and has no 

 relations whatever to the West Indies. Only one species, a swift, Chactura 

 cinereiiientiix laicrem-ci Kidgw., is peculiar to Grenada, Tobago and Trinidad, being- 

 represented in Guiana by the nearly allied C. c. yuianeims Hart. All other species 

 are of undoubted South American origin. 



^ The greater part of the resident land birds appears to have limnd their way to 



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