A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ZOOGEOGRArilY OF THE 



WEST INDIES, WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE 



TO AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Since its earliest years the Museum of Comparative Zoology has received 

 many collections representing the fauna of the West Indian Islands. To men- 

 tion a few of these, Louis Agassiz and the other scientists on the Hassler col- 

 lected at St. Thomas, on their memorable voyage; and later — from 1877 to 

 1880 — the Blake visited very many of the islands. The opportunity to col- 

 lect upon all of them was eagei'ly grasped by Mr. Samuel Garman, who was 

 Assistant Naturalist on the Blake during part of the time that she was in charge 

 of Alexander Agassiz. Collections were procured upon other islands than those 

 at which the Blake touched by the kindness of enthusiastic colonists and others. 

 The material available from Porto Rico consists of some received from Dr. A. 

 Stahl, long a resident of Bayamon ; some collected by Garman ; and other speci- 

 mens got by exchange from the United States national museum, collected by 

 Stejneger and Richmond. From San Domingo as well as Guadeloupe there are 

 specimens sent to Louis Agassiz by Dumeril from the Paris museum. This 

 material has a unique value, since it formed in many cases part of the material 

 studied by Dumeril and Bibron for their great Erpetologie general. More re- 

 cently there has been received material collected by Mr. A. H. Verrill at Santiago 

 de la Vega. From Haiti the Museum contains the large collection of Weinland, 

 made at Jeremie and other points in the western district of the island; and from 

 this collection Cope described many of the species peculiar to the island, although 

 some were described by Garman at a later date. The most recent Haitian 

 material comes as a part of the results of Mr. W. M. Mann's trip to the island 

 from November, 1912 to February, 1913. From Cuba there is material con- 

 tributed by FiUpe Poey, Samuel H. Scuddel-, Wirt Robinson, and others. I have 

 added to the collections the material collected during trips to the Bahamas, 

 Cuba, and Jamaica. One of the special incentives to writing this paper was 

 afforded by a large and finely preserved collection received from Grenada. 



