34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



collections made for the Smithsonian Institution by Frederick A. Ober, 

 together uith his notes and observations; catalogue of the birds of 

 St. Vincent, from collections made by Mr. Fred. A. Ober, under the 

 directions of the Smithsonian Institution, with his notes thereon ; cata- 

 logue of the birds of Antigua and Barbuda, from collections made for 

 the Smithsonian Institution by Mr. Fred. A. Ober, with his observa- 

 tions ; catalogue of the birds of Grenada, from a collection made by 

 Mr. Fred. A. Ober for the Smithsonian Institution, including others 

 seen by him, but not obtained; catalogue of the birds collected in 

 Martinique by Mr. Fred. A. Ober for the Smithsonian Institution ; cata- 

 logue of a collection of birds obtained in Guadeloupe for the Smithsonian 

 Institution by Mr. Fred. A. Ober ; a general catalogue of the birds noted 

 from the islands of the Lesser Antilles, visited by Mr. Fred. A. Ober, 

 with a table showing their distribution and those found in the United 

 States. 



By Prof. X. T. Lupton. On the breeding habits of the sea catfish. 



By Dr. James C. Merrill. Notes on the ornithology of Southern 

 Texas, being a list of birds observed in the vicinity of Fort Brown, 

 Tex., from February, 1876, to June, 1878. 



By Felipe Poey. Notes on the American species of the genus Cybium. 



By Captain R. H. Pratt. Catalogue of casts taken by Clark Mills, 

 esq., of the heads of sixty-four Indian prisoners, of various Western 

 tribes and held at Fort Marion, Saint Augustine, Fla., in charge of Capt. 

 E. H. Pratt, 



By Robert Ridgway. On a new humming-bird (Atthis ellioti) from 

 Guatemala; a review of the American species of the genus Scojjs Sav- 

 igny; descriptions of several new species and geographical races of 

 birds contained in the collection of the United States National Museum; 

 description of two new species of birds from Costa Bica, and notes on 

 other rare species from that country ; descriptions of new species and 

 races of American birds, including a synopsis of the genus Tyrannus. 



By Silas Stearns. A note on the gulf meuhaden. 



By Dr. Franz Steiudachner. Note on Perca flavescens. 



By Samuel Wilmot. Notes on the Western gizzard shad. 



The above collection constitutes Vol. I of the Proceedings of the 

 United States National Museum, comprising 521 pages, octavo, and em- 

 bellished with S plates and 10 wood-cuts. 



Chief among those interesting papers is the digest of Mr. F. A. Ober's 

 researches in the Lesser Antilles, as given by Mr. Geo. N. Lawrence. 

 The labors of Mr. Ober were principally devoted during two years to 

 ornithological observation and collection on the island of Dominica, 

 which is about midway in the group known as the Lesser Antilles, being 

 in latitude L5° 20 7 to lo° 45', north; longitude 01° 13' to 61° 30' west. 

 The island is mountainous, possessing a range of high peaks and hills 

 from two to three thousand feet in height. It is only in these mount- 

 ainous sections that land birds of any moment are found, for, in 



