Letters, Extracts, Notices, S^c. 457 



birds. This volume will also contain my ' Catalogue of the 

 Birds of the Province of Sao Paulo.' I wish to point out to 

 you, however, that a former taxidermist of our Museum, G. 

 Koenigswald, has lately published (J. f. Orn. 1896, p. 332) our 

 old Museum catalogue (stated by him to have been prepared 

 under my inspection) in his own name, without mentioning 

 that the basis of that catalogue was the collection of this 

 Museum. Moreover, the catalogue was at that time not at 

 all in a fit condition to be published, containing as it did many 

 erroneous determinations. I am now more sure of my 

 determinations, as I have received in doubtful cases the kind 

 aid of my friend Count Berlepsch. 



You will observe that the old catalogue above referred to 

 is that of the old Museum Collection, and is without any indi- 

 cations of " habitats." It includes the names of many birds 

 of Buenos Ayres, Para, Bahia, &c. quite foreign to the ornis 

 of Sao Paulo. The catalogue now to be issued contains only 

 species of which examples are in the new collection here, 

 and gives authentic details as to their origin. 



I have studied the question whether Natterer and Pelzeln 



were correct in believing the Rio Tiete to form a secondary 



line of division of the fauna of Sao Paulo, and have come to 



the conclusion that this is not the case. In fact we have 



in this province a Bolivian element in the west, and southern 



forms (such as Cyanocorax caruleus, &c.) on the borders of 



Parana. Some of the southern immigrants seem to be 



characteristic of our littoral — such as Phlceocryptes melanops 



and Cyanotis azaros. What appears to be still more singular 



is the occurrence of Spheniscus magellanicus so far north. Of 



this Penguin, first found by me at Rio Grande, we have 



recently received a specimen from Santos, and I have heard 



of another at the island of Sao Sebastiao, which I hope to 



obtain also. 



Yours &c., 



H. Jhering. 



Museu Paulista, Sao Paulo, 

 April 18th, 1898. 



