DISTRIBUTION OF THE BIRDS OF VERA CRUZ. 



559 



works of the plateau of Mexico. We assign as its limits an elevation from 600 to 1500 

 metres, or thereabouts. 



The third, in the absence of any common term, I propose to call the alpine region, the 

 vague name of tierra fria, commonly applied to the alpine region and the great central 

 plateau to designate its climate, being inadmissible in connection with the geographical dis- 

 tribution of the birds. This alpine region embraces the western portions of the department, 

 including all the mountainous portions, between 1500 and 3500 metres in height 



It is quite remarkable that within a territory so circumscribed as that to which these 

 notes are limited, we thus find, represented zoologically within a space of about 180 kilo- 

 metres in breadth (taking for our line of observation the route from Vera Cruz to Mexico, 

 and for the extreme points on this line, Vera Cruz at the sea level, and the peaks of 

 Aculzingo, to the height of 2450 metres), the two grand natural divisions designated by 

 naturalists under the names of Regio Nearctica and Regio Neotropica. 



The union of the respective faunae of these two divisions occurs in several localities of 

 the temperate region of the department of Vera Cruz in the most striking manner. The 

 city of Orizaba may be cited as an instance. The locality adjoining this city on the south- 

 east is visited by many forms from the hot region never to be found on the opposite side 

 of the city. I will only name the Pionns senilis, Ccereba carneipes, Saliator atriceps, Rhamphocclus 

 sanguinolentiis, Pifangus Derbianus, Tityra penonaia, etc., all of which, at certain periods, come 

 to dwell in the gardens and thickets of the neighborhood of the city on the southeast side ; 

 while on the opposite side of the city we first meet with the Contopus, the Pipib, and other 

 representatives of the cold region. An analogous meeting may also be remarked in regard 

 to the reptiles : on the one side the tropical forms are restricted to the more protected 

 localities on the southeast of the city (Amciva undulata, Cvbina grandis, Corgtkceolus vittatus, 

 Ahcetulla mexicana, etc.), and giving place on the opposite side to the typical species of the 

 cold regions, such as Scehporus malachiiicus and S. scalaris, Plestiodon lynx, Nirda diademata, 

 Ogmius varians, Eutcenia sirtalis, E. proximo,, etc., etc. 



It only remains, to complete this paper, to give, for each region, a list of the species that 

 characterize it, either because they never pass from within its limits, or because they there 

 have their centres of propagation, and only accidentally occur in other regions. 



Hot Region. 



Granatellus Salloei. 

 Pitylus poliogaster. 

 Saltator magnoides. 

 Lanio aurantius. 

 Phoenicothraupis rubica. 



rubicoides. 

 Ramphocelus sanguiuolentus. 

 Tanagra diaconus. 

 Chlorophonia occipitalis. 

 Euphonia affinis. 



liirundinacea. 



Gouldii. 

 Guiraca concreta. 

 Cyaiiospiza parellina. 

 Icterus Waglerii. 



Icterus pustulatus. 



cucullatus. 



mesomelas. 

 Ostinops Montezuma?. 

 Ocyalus Waglerii. 

 Glyphorhyncbus major. 

 Sittasomus sylvioides. 

 Xenops mexicanus. 

 Synallaxis erytbrothorax. 

 Anabates rubiginosus. 

 Amibazenops variegaticeps. 

 Automolus cerviuigularis. 

 Sclerurus mexicamis. 

 Grallaria guatemalensis. 

 Formicarius mouiliger. 



