NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE. 



Vol. XVII. DECEMBER, 1910. No. 3. 



THE BIRDS OF THE RIO MADEIRA. 

 By C. E. HELLMAYR. 



I. INTRODUCTION. 



THE Rio Madeira, the miglidest affluent to the Amazons from the south, has 

 been somewhat neglected by naturalists, and, until recently, oar knowledge of 

 its avifauna rested exclusively on the researches of John Natterer, who, in 1828, 

 1829, and 1S3U, had made extensive collections on this river. The results of his 

 exertions are embodied in A. von Pelzeln's well-known work " Ztir Ornithologie 

 Brasiliens. Resitltate von Joliann Natterer s lieise/i in den Jahren 1817 hi& 1835," 

 Vienna, 1867-70.* In 1U06 Mr. W. Hoffmanns visited the district, collectmg at 

 Humaytha on the left bank, at Faraiso and Borba on tlie right side. This material, 

 consisting of several hundred specimens, went to the Tring Museum, and an account 

 of it has been given by me in Notitates Zoologicae, vol. xiv. 1907, pp. 343-412. In 

 March 1907 Mr. Hnffmanns returned to his old hunting-grounds, workiiig chieily 

 on the right bank of the river, and continued collecting until October 1908, when 

 ill-health once more put an end to his activity. Though much hampered by 

 fre([uent attacks of malaria, for wliich the Madeira has a very bad- reputation, 

 Mr. Hoffmanns was able to bring together a series of about 130u bird skins, which, 

 together with those secured on his first trip, makes a total of 2000 specimens. 

 Besides these I have examined, thanks to the generous assistance of Dr. von 

 Lorenz, the greater portion of the material obtained by Natterer on the Madeira 

 and Guapor6 Rivers. 



The following article may, therefore, be looked upon as a complete resume of 

 our present knowledge of the ornis of the Madeira region, which I have deemed best 

 to restrict to that portion of the stream from Borba upwards to the junction of the 

 Bcni and Guapore Rivers, the country below Borba being wholly unexplored. Four 

 hundred and sixty-four species have been ascertaiued to occur within this area, 

 although I feel sure that future explorations will considerably swell this list. 



It remains to say a few words about the localities visited by Mr. Hoffmanns on 

 his second expedition. The majority of the specimens were obtained at a jilace 

 called Calama, situated on the right bank just below the junction of the Rio 

 Giparana or Machados, which forms the boundary between the Brazilian states 

 Amazonas and Mattogrosso. Jamarysinho is a hamlet on the left side of the 

 Machados, near its mouth, and Sao Isabel a little village on the Rio Preto, a small 

 affluent which flows into the Machados not far from its junction with tlie Madeira. 

 Allianca is a settlement farther up the stream, a little above the mouth of the Rio 

 Jamary. Maruins is situated on the left bank of the Machados, several journeys 



• Accordiug to Von I'elzelu (op. cit. p. 392, note) A. K. Feireira visited, between 17S3 ami 1T93, tlie 

 Madeira and C.uapov^ Rivers. His collections are said to have gone to Lisbon, but, as far as I am aware, 

 bave never been reported upon. 



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