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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



cific fauna. He entered Colombia at the 

 southern port of Tumaco and continued up 

 the Patia River by steamer and canoe as far 

 as Barbacoas and Vjy trail to Tlicaurte, sev- 

 enty-five miles farther inland on the western 

 slope of the western range. 



The seventh expedition, led by Dr. Chap- 

 man, explored the Bogota plateau and crossed 

 the eastern range, descending to Villavi- 

 cencio on the llanos. With Dr. Chapman 

 were L. A. Fuertes, G. K. Cherrie, P. G. 

 Howes, G. O 'Connell, and T. M. Ring. This 

 was perhaps the most important exjjedition 

 of all because it gave first hand information 

 of the country whence have been shipped the 

 thousands of bird skins without data, from 

 which so many species have been described. 

 The vast amount of skins shipped by deal- 

 ers from Bogota, labeled only "Bogota," 

 may have come from any one of four zones 

 and three faunal areas. By means of the 

 fresh specimens collected. Dr. Chapman was 

 able, however, to locate the probable type 

 localities of many species and to escape 

 many pitfalls into which other ornithologists 

 have fallen because of the faded condition 

 of most "Bogota skins." One would not sup- 

 pose that any species would escape the na- 

 tive hunters after so many years of intensive 

 collecting and yet within six miles of the 

 city in the Suba marshes Dr. Chapman him- 

 self discovered a new least bittern and a new 

 yellow-headed blackbird and described a new 

 marsh wren and a new flycatcher from speci- 

 mens taken by Brother Apolinar, director of 

 the museum of the Instituto de la Salle at 

 Bogota. 



The eighth and concluding expedition, 

 composed of Leo Miller and Howarth Boyle, 

 explored the northern end of the central 

 range in the Antioquia region. They crossed 

 the lower Cauea at Puerto Yaldivia and 

 worked in the headwaters of the Atrato 

 River at Dabeiba and Alto Bonito. On this 

 expedition, Miller and Boyle likewise ex- 

 plored the little-known Paramillo at the ex- 

 treme northern end of the western range. 

 Altogether 15,775 skins and valuable de- 

 tailed data were collected by these various 

 expeditions.! 



In publishing this work on "The Dis- 

 tribution of Bird-Life in Colombia," 

 Dr. Chapman lays the foundation upon 

 which Colombian ornithology will be 

 built. We cannot praise too highly the 



^ Dr. Chapman had access also to collections 

 made by Mrs. Kerr in the Atrato drainage and 

 Smith's collections in the Santa Marta region. 

 From the standpoint of distribution, however, as 

 before stated, the reports of previous ornithologi- 

 cal expeditions, with few exceptions, are of little 

 value. Salmon's collections in Antioquia about 

 Medellin, reported on by Sclater and Salvin, are 

 an exception as is also the collection of the Michler 

 expedition in the Atrato, reported on by Cassin. 

 Palmer's collections about Call and in the Choco 

 and Carriker's work in the Santa Marta reg'on 

 should also be mentioned. 



ability with which he laid his plans and 

 the care with which he executed them. 

 Those using the volume, whether scien- 

 tists or laymen, will be delighted with 

 the logical, convenient, and attractive 

 treatment of this difficult subject. 



In mentioning those who assisted in 

 tliis monumental work, the writer be- 

 lieves that Dr. Chapman would feel 

 that a serious omission had been made 

 in this review if a conspicuous place 

 were not given to his acknowledgments. 

 We can, therefore, do no better than to 

 quote some of his own generous words: 



We should indeed be lacking a sense of 

 appreciation if we did not express our grati- 

 tude to the people of Colombia with whom 

 at one time or another and in a thousand 

 nameless ways, we have come in contact. 

 From the peon by the wayside to the owners 

 of haciendas one and all have shown us the 

 most courteous attention. 



When traveling through remote, unsettled 

 regions with a valuable outfit and often con- 

 siderable sums of money, we have felt as 

 safe (possibly safer!) as when in our own 

 homes. When in camp or at hotels, country 

 inns or posadas, we made no special provi- 

 sion for guarding our equipment and sup- 

 plies ; nevertheless, during the five years of 

 our work we did not suffer the loss of a 

 single item by theft. Indeed, on passing 

 through a certain village where one of our 

 jiarty had previously worked, we were 

 stopped by a native bringing a needle and 

 thread which had been left behind ! 



But especially do I desire, so far as mere 

 words will permit, to pay a tribute to the 

 men with whom it has been my privilege to 

 be associated on our zoological explorations 

 in Colombia: To William B. Richardson, 

 Louis A. Fuertes, Leo E. Miller, Arthur A. 

 Allen, George K. Cherrie, Paul G. Howes. 

 Geoffrey O'Connell, Thomas M. Ring, and 

 Howarth Boyle. To their untiring enthu- 

 siasm and whole-souled devotion to the 

 American Museum's interests may be cred- 

 ited the most valuable collections of birds 

 and mammals which have been brought from 

 any part of South America. 



The success of any great undertak- 

 ing depends not only upon the strength 

 of the leader Init upon his ability to 

 di'aw from his assistants the best that 

 they have to give. In this particular 

 Dr. Chapman has no peer, and what 

 help he received from others is in large 

 measure but a further tribute to him- 

 .=elf. 



