432 Herr H. von Jhering on the 



XXXV. — Critical Notes on the Zoo-geographical Relations of 

 the Avifauna of Rio Grande do Sul. By H. von Jherinu, 

 C.M.Z.S. 



One of the difficulties in the discussion of the avifauna of 

 Southern Brazil, and especially of that of Rio Grande do Sul, 

 arises from the scarcity of materials, and another from various 

 errors in the indications of the habitats of the birds them- 

 selves. Two such erroneous indications, for example, occur 

 in the paper published by Count Berlepsch and the writer 

 on the Ornis of Taquara do Mundo Novo"^. Trogon aurantius, 

 determined by Count Berlepsch on an incomplete and only 

 partially-coloured figure, is not a species of Rio Grande do 

 Sul, being- represented in Sao Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul 

 by T. surucura, of which it seems to be the northern form. 

 Again, Rhamphastos ariel does not occur in Rio Grande 

 do Sul, and was indicated by me, by mistake, instead of 

 R. toco. 



It seems to me that the work of Burmeister (' Syst. Ueber. 

 d. Thiere Brasiliens ') also mentions some species as found 

 in Rio Grande do Sul which do not occur in the State in 

 question. Pelzeln says that in the Museum of Lisbon there 

 exists a specimen of Ibycter ater from Rio Grande do Sul. 

 But this is an Amazonian species, which has never been 

 found by other observers in Southern Brazil. 



Many naturalists have the habit of writing " Rio Grande '' 

 when speaking about Rio Grande do Sul; we have, however, 

 not only two States of this name in Brazil, but also in many 

 other States places of the same name. Thus, in the State of 

 Sao Paulo, ^' Rio Grande '' is a station on the Sao Paulo and 

 Santos Railway ; and the Sao Paulo branch of the Parana 

 river is also called '' Rio Grande.^^ There are likewise many 

 places in Brazil bearing the name Sao Paulo. It is quite 

 easy for misunderstandings to arise in this way, and some 

 of the wrong indications above alluded to have probably had 

 such an origin. 



* " Die Vogel der Umgegend von Taquara do Mundo Novo, Prov. 

 Eio Grande do Sul," Zeitschr. f. d. gesammte Ornithol. 1855, p. 97. 



