180 On new and forthcoming Bird- Books. 



most (liflBcult groups, and to have worked out a large number 

 of local collections. 



In further progress towards this end we have now prepared 

 and printed, at our own cost, a ' Nomenclator Avium Neo- 

 tropicalium/ or systematic list of the generic and specific 

 names of all the species of Neotropical birds which we actually 

 know from personal examination, the habitat or ]i atria being 

 in each case added, so as to show their geographical distri- 

 bution. This will form the base of our future operations, and 

 be also useful, we trust, for the establishment of a more uni- 

 form nomenclature. During Mr. Salvin's absence in Guate- 

 mala I have been busily employed getting this work through 

 the press, and it is now ready for issue. I find, somewhat to 

 my surprise, that it contains the names of not less than 3565 

 species, of which about 2000 belong to the great group of 

 Passeres, and the remaining 1500 to the other Orders. It 

 must be recollected, moreover, that there are, doubtless, many 

 good species which we have not met with, and many others 

 still remaining to be discovered before the neotropical avi- 

 fauna can be deemed to be fairly worked out. It is evident, 

 therefore, that we have no slight task before us. 



The collections used for the preparation of the ' Nomen- 

 clator ^ were my own and that of Messrs. Salvin and Godman. 

 The former of these contains a series of Passeres and other 

 higher Orders down to the end of the Psittaci, altogether 

 about 7000 specimens. The latter is still larger and more 

 general, embracing the whole series of American birds, and 

 is particularly complete in Central-American forms, resulting 

 from Mr. Salvin^s and Mr. Godman's visits to Guatemala and 

 from the labours of Arce and other collectors whom they have 

 employed. 



During the reexamination of these two collections while 

 the ' Nomenclator ' was being compiled, thirty-one new species 

 were met with, which are described in the Appendix. 



Several energetic collectors are still hard at work in dif- 

 ferent parts of the Neotropical Region, and furnish us with 

 constant additions to our list. Mr. Goering in Venezuela, 

 Mr. Salmon in Antioquia, Mr. H. Whitely in Peru, and Mr. 



