of some Guatemalan Birds. 59 



the remaining 1 7 we have a most valuable addition to our know- 

 ledge of neotropical birds in the egg of the Quezal [Pharomacrus 

 paradiseus), as well as in those oi Eumomota superciliaris, Pachy- 

 rhamplms aglaice, Geococcyx affinis, Urubitinga anthracina, and 

 Asturina nitida, which, together with Mimus gracilis, Polioptila 

 albiloris, Icterus gularis, I. mentalis, Centurus santacruzi, and 

 CEdicnemus vocifer, I believe to be now described for the first time. 

 The value of these eggs is very much enhanced by the exceedingly 

 careful way in which they have been collected. In every case but 

 one, that of Eumomota super ciliaris, where no mistake could 

 have been made, one of the parent birds was procured. Each 

 egg was written on in ink, and the bird ticketed with a cor- 

 responding number. The nests, too, which I shall describe below, 

 have in many cases been sent. To the name of each species I 

 have added a short description and the measurements of the 

 egg. The rest of the paper is from Mr. Ovven^s pen. — O.S. 



As any one who has travelled in this country will know, the 

 drawbacks a collector has to contend with are not a few. Let 

 these be my excuse for the smallness of my collection, which, I 

 can assure my readers, is the result of some pretty hard work, 

 and much exposure to a scorching sun. What disappointments 

 the would-be naturalist has to suffer ! Nests found, but the 

 wary birds not at home when called upon. Long and fruitless 

 vigils to be kept, gun in hand, behind some bush, — safe, as 

 one flatters oneself, from observation, and all the while a help- 

 less victim to swarms of delighted mosquitoes, which vie with 

 each other in their endeavours to improve the opportunity of 

 tasting a little European blood. Then it would appear that the 

 powers of the unseen work to one^s confusion. The other day 

 I lost a very fine specimen of the ' Kolol ' ) Tinamus robicstus ?) 

 from a "bruja" having cast upon it the evil eye. Such at least 

 was its end according to the belief of a ''carbonero" who was 

 bringing it to me from the mountain. He was coming along 

 cheerfully enough with the bird under his arm, when he met a 

 female of the " bruja" family; there was no time to cover it up 

 before the mischief was done, and the victim struggling to 

 death, all the while uttering most unusual cries. 



