110 bulletin: museum of compakative zoology. 



Godiuan, and formed the principal material for the notes on Yucatan 

 birds in the Biologia Centralia-Americana. So far as I am aware, there 

 is no specific record of birds collected at Chichen-Itza by Gaumer. 



Since Chapman's visit, and previous to my own, Messrs. E. W. Nelson 

 and E. A. Goldman, of the United States Biological Survey, spent a 

 short tmie at Chichen-Itza, ahd Nelson has published a number of notes 

 and descriptions of new or rare forms procured by them. 



In spite of the remarkaV)le imiformity of the greater portion of the 

 northern part of the peninsula of Yucatan, there is a marked difierence 

 in the bird fauna of the costal belt and the interior ; and apparently also 

 between those parts of the country where the forests have been very 

 largely cleared away to give room to henequen plantations, and the 

 wilder portions to the eastward, which are still densely wooded. For 

 this reason, as Chapman says, as well as for the information to be obtained 

 regarding migrations and the more casual wanderings of the birds, local 

 lists seem desirable. The present paper is an attempt to make more 

 complete the list of winter birds of Chichen-Itza. 



As has been mentioned, my stay at Chichen-Itza covered a period of 

 eight weeks — from February 13 to April 9, 1904. Only a small portion 

 of this time, however, was given to the observation and collection of 

 birds, which was rather incidental to the other collecting. I have 

 already expressed my deep gratitude to Mr. E. H. Thompson for his hospi- 

 tality, and it gives me pleasure to add that I owe fully as much to him 

 for his interest in my work with the birds. Not only did he give me every 

 information at his command, but by furnishing them with powder and 

 shot, he arranged it so tliat the Indians on his plantation brought me 

 many birds which I should otherwise probably have been unable to 

 procure. I am also indebted to Mr. Thompson for assistance in obtain- 

 mg the Maya names of the birds and for the translation and explanation 

 of the meanings of some of these. 



Chapman in his paper has given a good description of the character of 

 the country, and something has been added in my general mtroduction, 

 so that little more need be said here. It is doubtful, however, if the 

 portion to the eastward of the lieneqnen belt has ever been so com- 

 pletely deforested as Chapman believes. It is probable rather that the 

 general low, " scrubby " character of the vegetation is due to the arid 

 conditions of the peninsula — to the thinness of the soil and the porosity 

 of tlie underlying rock. There are, however, as Chapman says, trees of 

 certain species which attain a considerable size, and especially is this true 

 in the immediate vicinity of the cenotes. 



