Mr. Swainson's Synopsis of the Birds of Mexico. 365 



the whole in my hands, for the publicly avowed purpose of 

 recordino- this portion of his discoveries. In the mean time 

 his son, ^Ir.William Bullock, remained in Mexico; and, al- 

 though occupied in more pressing avocations, continued to 

 devote his leisure to the acquisition of its productions. His 

 attention has hitherto been principally directed to the depart- 

 ment of ornitholocyj in which he possesses considerable in- 

 formation. Everj'^new remittance of specimens that he has 

 since forwarded to this country, has tended to show how little 

 is known of Mexican zoology. This, however, has been at- 

 tended with some disadvantage to the task I had undertaken, 

 inasmuch as it has delayed the publication of those descrip- 

 tions which were made in the first instance. 



That no further delay may take place, in securing the ho- 

 nour of these discoveries to Mr. Bullock and his son, I have 

 drawn up, in this paper, a short synopsis of those birds which 

 have reached me up to this time ; indulging the hope of giving 

 a more tletailed account hereafter of the zoology of Mexico, 

 accompanied by coloured figures. 



It may readily be supposed, by those naturalists who have 

 attended to the geographic distribution of animals, that in a 

 country so new to science, many interesting objects would oc- 

 cur. The peculiar situation of Mexico, placed between the 

 two o-reat divisions of the American continent, and concen- 

 trating within itself every variety of climate, renders its 

 zoology uncommonly interesting. The materials I have yet 

 received are too scanty to allow of any very particular con- 

 clusions being drawn 'from them, so far as regards general 

 views. I shall, therefore, merely observe in this place, that 

 many of the ornithological groups of North America, occur 

 also on the table land "of Mexico, but that those of South 

 America generally predominate. In addition to these are 

 some few forms peculiar to the country itself, and one (Cinclus) 

 which occurs in Europe, but in no other part of America. 



The generic definitions will, I hope, shortly appear in an- 

 other Journal, to which they have been sent, with the inten- 

 tion of preceding the publication of this paper, ever since last 

 November. By this unfortunate delay, I am reduced to the 

 unpleasant necessity of rei'erring to a book not yet published, 

 for what the reader should have the immediate power of con- 

 sulting. 



That this synopsis may be more generally useful to my 

 l-'.nglisli ornithological friends in Mexico, many of whom are 

 miners, 1 liave written the whole in our native language. It 

 only remains for me to assure them, how nuuli they have it 

 in their power to benefit science, and to illusti ale the natural 



history 



